Shades of Grey
by seriouslyjess
Summary: A lot has happened in the life of those who stayed in Seattle. Years have passed, families have been formed and trust has been broken. What will happen when those who left leave some surprises and return again?
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first Grey's fic. It's post-prom, any spoilers are fair game. I don't own Grey's nor do I have enough money in my piggy bank to buy it. **

**Bear with me and please be gentle. Reviews are welcome.**

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_**Meredith Voice Over: When I was a freshman in High School I had this one teacher that we had open discussion with for most of the time. We read stories and news articles, and then debated over them, formed opinions. No matter what, he said we had right answers, there were no wrong answers in opinions he told us. Just at least two sides to it. Arguments were never one sided. And there was no black and white either. That's what I remember most about him. He liked to tell us that there were only Shades of Grey. Both are right, both are wrong. Shades of Grey. And that is how my life is. Endless Shade of Grey**_

**Chapter 1: The Flu, Stress, No Big Deal  
**

"Meredith, this has got to stop." Isobel Stevens looked down at her friend face concerned as she gently helped her to her feet.

"How do you think I feel Iz, puking my guts up for half the night?" Meredith replied as she allowed her friend to support her as she swayed on the cold tile floor. She looked down at it; she had spent the last few weeks practically worshipping the porcelain God 24/7. "I'm fine, it's just a bug. It'll pass soon."

"That's what you've been saying for the past few weeks. Tomorrow we are taking you to the Doctors. No buts." Izzie's voice had gotten louder by the second, and by the time she was done both Alex and George had appeared in the hallway.

Alex took one look at his very pale, very sick friend and gently picked her up. He walked down the hall and placed her on her bed under her covers.

George disappeared and came back with some ice chips. He sat down on the side of her bed and Meredith opened her mouth. She looked like a baby bird looking for a worm to eat. George put a few chips in her mouth and she closed it, managing to swallow them.

"I was just telling Meredith that we're taking her to the hospital tomorrow."

"I know." George and Alex chorused. Izzie had been loud enough for both of them to hear the argument.

"I'm not going."

"Yes, Mer you are. You've been sick these past few weeks, and it hasn't been getting better. At first we let it slide, after prom was stressful, for all of us, with Denny and Burke." Izzie was getting better everyday, and had realized that she wasn't really in love with Denny, and that he would want her to be happy.

"Then your break-up with Finn, and -" Izzie stopped. She had almost mentioned the unmentionable. The Dr. Shepard's moving back to New York.

"Other things like that." She finished lamely. Meredith had gotten her drift anyway.

"Fine. I'll go, but only tomorrow and I want you guys to do it, and Cristina, and Burke or Bailey. Not anyone I don't know." Burke was doing much better, but was slowly working his way towards bigger surgeries.

The other three interns glanced at one another. It was a small price to pay for making sure that nothing bad had happened to their friend. "Okay."

"We'll go tomorrow morning, before rounds start." George stated.

"Then we should get back to sleep, we only have a few more hours." Meredith looked at Alex and then at the clock she nodded tiredly.

"Yeah, we probably should."

Izzie, George and Alex all turned to go George placing the ice chips next to her when Meredith called out to them again. "Guys?"

"Yeah Mer?" Izzie asked.

"Thank you."

Izzie knew that Meredith wasn't just referring to the fact that they were making her see a doctor, but the overall past two months.

It had taken a few days before they had gotten the entire story out of Meredith. About sleeping with Derek on prom night, about how he kept asking her what it meant.

She had broken up with Finn soon after that. The day that she had gone to tell Derek about the break-up, and ask him what it meant she had been told that he had moved back to New York. The Bastard hadn't even had the decency to tell her himself. Coward.

"Your welcome Mer. Now get some sleep."

With that Izzie switched off the light and walked into the hall with George and Alex. If she ever saw Derek Shepard again it wasn't going to be a very happy reunion. She would kill him. He hurt her best friend.

* * *

"Okay Mer, I just need to ask you a few more questions before we start."

Meredith looked at Cristina who was standing across from her. Meredith was perched on the hospital bed, Izzie standing next to her rubbing her back reassuringly.

Moments ago Meredith had once again been on her knees in the bathroom throwing up what little she had managed to eat for breakfast.

George, Alex and Callie stood outside of the room, as if standing guard.

Callie had moved into their house after prom, and was also living with Meredith, but had been on call last night. Still the 'new girl' she had opted to stay outside and let Meredith's two best friends and Burke handle this.

"Yeah Cristina, I know the drill, I'm a doctor too."

"How long have you been feeling this way?"

"A little after Prom I guess, I started getting sick, and couldn't keep anything down."

"Mer, that was over two months ago."

"I know, but I've been going through a lot lately, and I've been really busy and everything."

"Okay, when's the last time you had sex?" Cristina held up her hand "I know the answer to that. And personally, I so don't need to know this, but when's the last time you had your period?"

Meredith looked at her eyes widened slightly. "Cristina…" She took a deep breath. "It was right before the prom." Izzie let out a small gasp behind her.

"No."

"Yes."

"No. 'Cause that would mean what I think it means and that would be bad. Really bad." Meredith just stared at her.

Burke walked in the room ready to do the initial exam and looked between the three inters. Bailey had been home today with Will and Tucker.

None of them responded to his greeting, or his question to see the chart Cristina was holding. Gently he took it from her and skimmed what she had written so far. When he came to the last two questions why the three women were standing there in shock clicked.

"Uh-oh." Burke walked out of the room and came back with a needle to draw some blood. There were no drug store pregnancy tests at the hospital, and he didn't feel like going and buying one.

The blood work was rushed and an hour later he handed the confirmation of her pregnancy to Meredith and walked out of the room. He heard the sound of a cry and Cristina trying to be soothing and Izzie's soft voice. George, Callie and Alex walked into the room having seen the test in Burke's hand.

This was not good. Cristina had told him about prom night. Meredith Grey was pregnant with Derek Shepard's baby.

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So... thoughts? questions? comments? reviews? 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Third Time's Charm**

"Come on Meredith."

"No."

"Mer, just a few more pushes."

Meredith shifted on the hospital bed ever so slightly and leaned against George. He was sitting behind her; she was sitting in the 'v' between his legs he was holding her hands and breathing with her.

Cristina, Izzie, George, Burke and Callie were all in the room too; along with Bailey, the chief and her Ob/Gyn Dr. Danielle Mar. Most people would find this strange, but they were family, all of them.

"Fine I'll push" Meredith groaned as the next contraction hit her.

George looked up at the mirror hanging over the bed as Meredith nearly broke his hand in half. Alex, Burke and George had flipped a coin to see who would have no feeling in their hand for the next week. George had lost. "I can see a head Meredith!"

"O'Malley?"

"Yeah Bailey?"

"Stop looking at Grey's Va-jay-jay." She replied with a smirk. George smiled back at her remembering the line from a few months ago.

"Okay Meredith, stop pushing."

The room was silent except for Meredith's heavy gasps, and then the cry of a child filled the room. Sighs of relief went up and Dr. Mar handed Meredith the child after cleaning him off.

"Say hello to your baby boy Meredith."

"His name is Zachary, Zachary Richard Grey. Zach for short."

The interns grinned knowing that Richard Webber was like a father to her, and having a child named after him was one of the greatest honors she could give him.

Meredith looked at Richard who smiled back at her tears of joy in his eyes.

One of the nurse's gently took Zach away from Meredith to be cleaned off and get his vitals checked out.

"Okay Meredith ready?"

"No."

"Too bad. You've gotta push anyway."

Dr. Mar, the interns had decided was allowed to be part of their family. She was happily married, with twins, a boy and girl, and had just moved here with her husband who was a lawyer. Her daughter Samantha and her son James were Bailey's son William's age. All the kids would be about the same age. Dr. Mar it had been decide was allowed to talk back to Meredith.

"I know, that's what you told me last time."

"And you listened. Didn't everything turn out okay?"

"Yeah" another contraction hit Meredith and she doubled over in pain.

"You guys promise me something okay? Next time you see Derek Shepard shoot him for me, point blank. Right now I'm about to kill him." Meredith ground out but Dr. Mar just smiled at Meredith's bitching, because she was pushing again.

Soon another baby cry filled the room. Once again the interns sighed with relief. The second tiny baby boy was given to Meredith Grey to cradle in her arms.

"Guys, I'd like you to meet Jacob Elijah Grey, or Jake."

As Jake was taken away to be cleaned and have his vitals checked, Cristina grinned at Meredith who just smiled back at her tiredly. Only Cristina knew how Elijah was chosen, it was the closest male form of Ellis. Meredith had a different name in mind for her daughter. It didn't include Ellis. So they searched until they found Elijah.

"Okay this is the second to last time that you have to do this Meredith. I promise, so just one more big push." Meredith complied squeezing the life out of George's hand, too tired to be a smart ass anymore.

A baby was finally cradled in Dr. Mar's arms. All was quiet. Meredith looked at the baby worried. Eventually the sound of a small weak cry filled the air.

Tears streamed down Meredith's face. Pain and joy mingled together. The small bundle was finally placed in her arms, the last baby. Her placenta could finally be delivered, and then Meredith Grey could relax and see her children. All three of them.

"This is my daughter, Katherine Grace Grey, Katie. Grace is for all you guys that are here today. I figured that it would be bad to give each of them a middle name of yours, because I love you all so much. I figured that Seattle wasn't the best middle name, and neither was 'interns' or 'hospital. So Grace is her middle name."

Katie was taken away and George pulled himself out from behind Meredith. Dr. Mar leaned over to check Meredith's placenta and then she frowned. "Meredith? Meredith? Stay with me."

There was no response from the woman. Everyone in the room froze. "B.P.'s dropping, she's bleeding out." Olivia said, alarmed.

There was a flurry of movement, in the room, and the interns were moved aside, while Dr. Mar rushed Meredith out of the room and into an O.R.

* * *

Three hours later emotionally exhausted interns were visiting their niece and nephews; and the Chief was keeping watch over Meredith.

Bailey walked into the room and stared at the two of them thoughtfully.

"Dr. Webber, I have one child. One." She held up her finger for emphasis. "And a husband who loves both of us. He has been there for late night feedings and dirty diapers and everything else that comes with that. Except for the actually birth. But he had his head open on an exam room table during a Code Black. So that's okay. Meredith is a single parent, and a surgical intern with not one, but three children. How the hell is she going to be able to handle this?"

Dr. Webber let out a sigh. "She has her friends Bailey. Two of them live with her." He paused. "No never mind, four of them live with her."

"Four?"

"Torres, Karev, Stevens, and O'Malley. They will be there for everything, and so will Yang and Burke; even if they don't live there. And Adele and I, and even though you'll never admit it Bailey, you will too. Those children will never be alone. And Meredith will always have a helping hand. Derek Shepard will not be there, but there is nothing I can do about that. These three will have enough father figures to last them a lifetime."

"No disrespect Dr. Webber, but you're the one who called the she-Shepard here and screwed up everything for them. Why can't you call the he-Shepard back here to fix what you messed up? As much as I hate to admit it, those two really loved each other."

"When Meredith first told me she was pregnant, she told me who the father was. She also told me that when he had left for New York it proved that he didn't want a life with her. She tried to call him once or twice, she left a few messages telling him that it was important and to please call her back. He never did. After Meredith told me that, she made me promise that I wouldn't tell him that she had kids, or that those children were his. She asked me not to mess with her life anymore. I intend to keep that promise. It's the least I can do."

Bailey nodded, and then she left the room. Richard stayed for awhile staring at the sleeping woman.

For a moment, but not for the first time, Richard wished that he had never called Addison, all it had done was bring everyone grief. He kissed Meredith on the forehead and walked out leaving the exhausted women alone in her dreams.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to all of you who reviewed.Here's chapter 3:**

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**Chapter 3: An Old Friend**

Meredith Grey sighed as she reached the hospital day care. It was lunch time, and hopefully she would be able to eat with her children before she got called away.

"Hey guys." She called out as she entered the play area. Her three children detangled themselves from the other group of children and ran up to her. "MOM!"

"I came to take you to lunch, that okay?"

"Yep." Meredith looked around the day care. The other children were watching enviously. As surgeon's children, among other things, they didn't get to spend a lot of time with their parents. Meredith tried to have lunch with her kids every day. If she couldn't, someone else did.

"Do you guys want Sami, Jimmy, and Will to eat with us today?" The three five years-olds nodded vigorously and Meredith gestured to the other three children that she could almost consider her own she saw them so much. Already expecting this they scampered over to her and she smiled.

"You guys hungry?" Meredith laughed at their as they nodded and jumped up and down. She watched as they paired off with their best friends. Jake with Jimmy, Katie with Sami, and Zach with Will.

Meredith felt like the leader of a parade as she walked down the halls six children behind her. At some point Alex and Izzie had joined in, and so had Cristina. Eventually they made their way to the cafeteria and sat down making sure all six kids had healthy food and something to drink.

"Mom?"

"Yeah Katie?"

"Me an' Sami have to go potty."

"Okay" Meredith stood up and catching Cristina's eyes gestured to the two small girl's in-front of her. Cristina nodded in understanding and turned back to her conversation about Batman with Zach and Will.

Sami and Katie began to run down the hallway of Seattle Grace taking the familiar routes with surprising speed. Being by the cafeteria Meredith didn't chase them knowing that they wouldn't be in anyone's way.

That was until the two girls turned a sharp corner and before she could round it Meredith heard a smack. Meredith ran, turning the sharp corner just in time to see a head of light brown hair helping the two girls stand up. He looked up and gave her a dazzling smile.

"Hey Mer, long time no see. Who are these two munchkins?"

"Mark? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Consult." He once again turned to look at the two girls obviously wanting an answer. Katie gave him one.

"Mom, who's he?"

Meredith bit her lip and glanced from Mark to Katie. Mark looked shocked, but then again, who wouldn't be?

"Katie this is Uncle Mark, he's an old friend of mine. Mark this is my daughter Katherine Gray and Dr. Mar's daughter, I don't know if you've met her yet, anyway her daughter Samantha, Sami for short."

"Hi Uncle Mark." Sami echoed her statement quietly. Katie grinned up at him and then turned to her mother again. "Has he met Zach and Jake?"

"No, who are Zach and Jake?" Mark looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"My brothers, we're triplets. I'm the youngest." Katie rolled her eyes at that, she _hated _being the youngest. "Zach is the oldest so he thinks that he can boss me around, and so does Jake. I'm five years old and I live with my mom, and my Uncle George and my Aunt Callie, but they're moving out."

Mark looked at Meredith over Katie's head and she made a throat slashing motion warning him not to ask the question he desperately wanted to know.

"Mark, why don't you come over for dinner tonight?" She sent a questioning look towards her child. "That alright Kit Kat? He can meet your brothers then."

"Okay." She turned to Mark and impulsively gave him a hug. "See you tonight Uncle Mark." Using brunt force and a little help from Sami she opened the bathroom door. Meredith stood outside with Mark as she waited for the two of them. He only had one question for her. "Derek's'?"

"Yep."

* * *

At quarter to six the doorbell rang. Katie jumped up from the kitchen table and ran to open the front door. Their two-month old black lab Shep followed her. She was greeted by the face of her newest Uncle, Mark. 

"Hi Uncle Mark! Come in." Katie grabbed his arm and practically dragged the man into her house. "Mom! Uncle Mark is here!"

Meredith walked out of the kitchen and into the foyer. She laughed at the surprised look on Mark's face. "Either she likes you right away or she doesn't. She likes you." She turned her attention to her daughter. "Katie, what did I say about answering the door by yourself?"

Katie looked down and scuffed her foot on the floor. "Sorry mom. But, I knew it was Uncle Mark, because he said he was going to be here tonight."

Two children came tumbling down the stairs at that moment and Mark turned to see two boys standing there staring at him.

"Jake, Zach, this your Uncle Mark. Mark, my boys Jake and Zach."

"Hi Uncle Mark" the two boys chorused. Zach turned and looked at his mom with a smile. "You made pasketti?"

"Its spaghetti Zach" Meredith corrected gently, "and yeah, I did. Aunt Izzie brought over some cupcakes. You guys have your favorite meal."

The three children cheered and all sat down. It wasn't long before the questions began. First, it was simple things; his favorite color, if he liked their dog and the black labs name, what his job was, the best surgery he ever had, things like that. For five year olds, they knew a lot about surgery. But then Jake popped the question.

"Do you know my dad Uncle Mark?" Mark shot a frantic glance over at Meredith who just nodded her head and answered the boy.

"Yes baby, Uncle Mark knows your dad."

Jake, Katie and Zach all smiled at that. "Tell us about him. Please Uncle Mark?"

He looked over at Meredith who once again nodded. Mark began to tell them random things, things that he hadn't thought of for years that were suddenly coming back to him. Old stories about the two of them, the first time they met; med school stories. It was about 9:30 before Meredith finally sent them to bed.

"Zach Attack, Jake the Snake, Kit Kat, bed time." Mark grinned at the nicknames for her children.

All three groaned but all the same got up and went to bed bidding a 'good-night Uncle Mark, I love you' to him before the sound of tiny feet could be heard on the wood floor in the hall.

Eventually Meredith came back downstairs smiling sadly.

"They know a lot about their father Mer. Hell; they named their dog after him. You take them to where his trailer is, and taught them how to fish."

"What was I gonna do, hide him from them?"

"You're hiding them from him."

"I headed to the hospital that day - the day that they left. I was prepared to tell him that I broke up with Finn and ask him what prom night meant. After I found out that I was pregnant I called him a few times. Asking him to please call me back, that it was really important. He never did. In the end I decided it was for the better. I didn't want him to feel obligated to come back here and play house with the woman that he didn't love and their three children. We don't need him, and he definitely doesn't need us. Besides, he's married Mark. You know, 'Do you take this man to be you lawful wedded husband to have and to hold' yada yada yada."

"No he's not."

"What?" Meredith sunk down on the couch next to him her eyes wide with surprise.

"They got divorced about 2 months after they moved back to New York. They kept trying to blame the dirty mistresses for what went wrong, but really they just fell out of love with each other. They're still friends though, and Addison and I are married, Derek's my best friend. But frankly, I don't know why he's still in New York when the woman he loves is in Seattle with his three children. The three children that he doesn't know about. Oh wait. Yes I do."

Meredith looked at him and raised her eyebrow. The last five years had taken a lot out of her. She loved Derek so much that it hurt sometimes, but had other things going on in her life that she had to do. She was no longer able to spend time wallowing in self-pity or doubt. Meredith had kids to take care of; a house to clean, peoples lives to save. It was no longer always about Derek Shepard. There were no more drunken tequila nights spent at Joe's or brining strange men home.

"He's scared. Terrified actually. Derek Shepard is terrified of rejection, of you telling him that you moved on; which is actually kind of funny if you think about it; because you my dear are anything but moved on."

"I've moved on." Meredith stated. She looked slightly offended at the comment, but Mark knew that his statement was true.

"Have you?"

"Yes. No. I don't know. What i do know is that I can't spend my time wondering or caring about Derek Shepard." Meredith put her head in her hands and then jerked up suddenly to look at him. "If you had been Derek what would you have done?"

Mark was startled by the question, but he immediately knew the answer.

"Really? Truly? I'm not like Derek. I would've stayed here with the love of my life. I wouldn't have tried to give my marriage a second chance. But, if I had left and I had gone with my wife and been like Derek, I would've called you back. The phone would've been in my hand before you could even say 'triplets'. Then, after I found out about the babies, I would've gotten divorced, and returned to Seattle immediately. I would've opened Pandora's Box and tried to see what was left. I would've been back here in a second. But that's just me. And you of all people should know that I'm nothing like Derek Shepard."

"That's right, you aren't, but some days Mark, I think you're a lot better." Mark embraced her and Meredith allowed herself to cry a few silent tears of grieve for her babies.

"Mark?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you come back? I like the fact that you're their Uncle Mark. They love you. I know in a few years when I tell them the truth about Derek they're not going to see him as a hero, but I want them to have that connection. They need an Uncle like you. I mean, Richard, Burke, George and Alex are all great roll models and everything, but you're another connection to their father. And, you make a great Uncle."

"Of course I will Mer. I love those kids to death. And I've only known them for a little while. How in love is everybody at the hospital?"

"Very in love. You should see everyone when I take them up to the E.R. all the nurses are always checking on them, and when they're there all the interns will always stop to talk to them. They're like this calming effect before surgeries. And that girl you saw us with, Sami? Her mom works there; she's got a twin brother, Jimmy, and Bailey's son Will. They're all about the same age. Between the six of them they have the entire surgical ward wrapped around their fingers." Meredith chuckled. "They all want to be surgeons, and when we all have to rush to work they sometimes come with us." at Marks surprised glance Meredith shrugged. "I'm a single mother, and so is Danielle; usually we can get someone else to watch them, but other times we have to bring them. When we do, Will doesn't want to be left out. They have their own on-call room to sleep in and everything."

"That sounds like something that would happen here. Seriously, Seattle Grace always has something interesting going on, never a dull moment. I've got an early morning surgery tomorrow, and I'm only staying for a few more days, but I'll see you guys before I leave. Do you want to scrub in?"

"I'd love to scrub in, see you tomorrow Dr. Sloane." They both stood up and Meredith walked him to the door. They stood together for a moment staring at the dark Seattle street as the rain poured down.

"Mark? Don't tell Derek you saw me. Don't tell Addison either. I don't need him coming back here and trying to be their father out of guilt. We don't need him. If you have to tell him you saw me, tell him we didn't speak to each other. Please, for our sakes. To have him come into their lives, and then leave again, it would break their hearts; I don't know if they would ever recover."

"I won't tell him Mer. Tell Zach, Katie and Jake I'll see them tomorrow." And then with a quick hug he was out the door, dashing into the Seattle rain and the dark stormy night.

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I love the Mer/Mark friendship, so there will be a lot. Please review!  



	4. Chapter 4

**I know that the story you're going to read in here next is slightly over-used, at least some people think so. (Ducks from flying objects). Sorry if you're one of those people, but what happens is important to what will happen later on.  
**

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**Chapter 4: Best Girl**

Mark Sloane shifted impatiently as he scanned the airport. "Mark! Over here." Spotting Danielle Mar, he rushed over to her, face tight.

"How is she?"

"Not too good." They embraced and Danielle led him down to get his luggage and out of the airport.

"How're my boys?"

"Freaking. They're worried about their baby sis. Meredith's making Zach and Jake go to school, and they just sit there with Jimmy, Will and Sami like zombies. Jake's all better, no more pain. They still have him on some light painkillers though. Meredith doesn't want the two of them to just wander around the hospital all day, and that's where everyone is. The time that Meredith isn't sitting with Katie, she's at home with the boys until they leave for school. Richard's barred her from surgery. All intense neurology cases are going to Seattle West. The rest of the gang spends their time either at the hospital, or at Mer's house sleeping and watching the combined group of children they have and Jake and Zach, who swear that they're fine. All they want to do is see Katie."

"Haven't they?"

"Yeah, but they practically spend every waking minute together. The time they get to spend in Katie's room is too short for them. Think about it Mark. Almost eight months spent in Mer's uterus, then the two weeks they spent in the hospital, because we wanted to keep and eye on them. Then, add the eleven years that they have spent relying on each other as their best friends, and everything they've gone through. I don't know what they'll do if Katie doesn't pull through."

"Our world might just collapse if she doesn't." Mark said quietly.

"Yeah. It just might. And then what'll we do?"

"No idea." The rest of the ride was silent.

* * *

Mark and Danielle walked into the hospital, and went up to the fifteenth floor, the oncology wing. After donning the protective gear, Mark slipped into Katie's room. 

"How's my best girl?"

Katie removed the mask covering her face before gesturing at the IV pole and saying tiredly "this stuff I took from Jake is supposed to make me better."

"I know that you're a Doctor's daughter and all, but I'll say it anyway." Mark paused for an almost dramatic effect and Katie rolled her eyes.

"There is almost a 90 cure rate for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. A bone marrow transplant has the greatest chance of success."

"Katie, it's no fun when you steal my lines." Mark moaned playfully.

"Get new ones."

"Fine. I will." He walked over to her and they embraced.

"How's the rest of the crew?"

"Haven't they been in here 24/7?"

"Well, yeah, but this family is good at lying. I want to go home and see my brothers. Izzie's with them right now, making dinner. Can you take me home to them?"

"You know I can't baby. Too many germs."

"I know." Katie sighed. "But, I was hoping that I could see them. I want to give them big, big hugs. I really miss them lots and lots Uncle Mark. They're my brothers. We're the three musketeers."

"More like the three stooges." Mark joked. "You can be Curly." Katie just gave him _the look_. The innocent big puppy eyed dog, please help me look. Mark tried to avoid her gaze, but it didn't work.

"I'll see if I can get them here more often baby."

"Thank you Uncle Mark." Mark stared at the eleven year old girl, whose eyes had lit up at the thought of seeing her brothers.

"Gimmie a hug before I go plead with your mother. If I lose my head, Kat, I'm blaming you."

"Okay Uncle Mark. I love you lots." Mark hugged her and paused at the door when he heard her voice.

"Mom's scared. She's been trying to be strong and everything, but I know that she needs a minute. You'll take care of her Uncle Mark?"

"Promise I will. I'll take care of your mom, and try and get your brothers up here. How's that sound?"

"Really, really good."

"Mer."

"Mark." The two of them stood in the hallway staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Then, Meredith blinked. In that moment, Mark had taken a step towards her, and gathered her tightly in her arms. Meredith was the strong one. It had taken him a little while to realize that.

She may not have been 'bright and shiny', but she took care of everyone. When Danielle had found her husband cheating on her with his secretary, a then seven year old Sami and Jimmy had stayed with her, so that the two of them could talk without getting the kids involved.

When Cristina's oldest daughter had been born, and the doctors had thought that she was deaf, it was Meredith who sat hours with Cristina reassuring her that Diana would be fine, and even if she wasn't, the family would learn sing language and take care of each other like they always had. Never mind the fact that she had just been in a three hour surgery, where the patient died, and should've been at home with her five year olds. Meredith said that she needed to be with Cristina, that they were family, and that was what mattered.

The list went on, but that was the way Meredith was, she took care of her family, and would defend them until the day she died.

"You need to get some sleep, or you're gonna crash."

"I'm fine."

"Those are your two favorite words. Well," Mark paused to consider "maybe seriously is. But, you should stop using them so much." Meredith just gave him a look, and Mark realizing that Katie had spent too much time with her mother, almost laughed.

"How long have you been up?"

"Umm… well." Meredith paused. "I got up at 5:30, showered, all that stuff, woke up the boys, got them ready for school, drove them to school and then came here. I did charting for a little while, and I sat with Katie because she was throwing up. That was about oneish. Then, I went and had lunch, did some more charting. Adele called and we talked for about an hour. I went to go pick up the boys, and we stayed with Katie for a while. I drove them home, and Izzie stayed to cook them dinner. Dani went to pick you up, and I've been here ever since."

"You need to sleep."

"I'm…"

"Fine" Mark cut her off. "Yeah, right, I know, whatever. You're not fine. You're tired, scared, need to eat, too thin…"

"Pregnant, homicidal, I get it." Mark stared at her.

"Did you just say pregnant – I thought- I mean -" Mark was blubbering and Meredith let out a little giggle.

"I was kidding, but it got you to shut up, didn't it?"

"Nice Mer."

"I thought so." Mark looked at her, waiting until she slumped slightly before he made his move. His hands darted out, and grabbing her around the waist, he threw her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

"Mark!" He ignored her and began to walk. Meredith hit him on the back with to no avail. "Markus Anthony Sloane put me down this instant!"

"Yes ma'am." Mark deposited her in an on-call room with a bow. He pointed to one of the beds. "You need to sleep. What'll happen when you crash?"

"Will – will you lay down with me Mark?" To most those words would seem sexual, but Mark knew what she meant.

"Yeah." He crawled next to her in the bed, and she leaned against him, finally allowing her tears to fall.

"What's gonna happen if she doesn't make it Mark? She's my baby girl."

"I don't know Mer. We'll stick together, hug a lot, cry a lot, all that stuff. But, she'll be okay. You know why?"

"Why?"

"Because she's your daughter. And you Grey's, you're as strong as they come."

"Thanks Mark."

"I only speak the truth sis."

"Right… you've never lied in your life."

"Never."

Meredith suppressed a yawn and Mark sighed. "Sleepy time Pete."

"How old am I five?"

"Sometimes you act like it."

"Do not." Meredith wined back playfully.

"Sleep Mer, then we'll get something to eat, and bring Zach and Jake out here to see their sister." Meredith barely got out a reply before she felt sleep overtake her.

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Good? Bad? Overused? Hate me? Please let me know and review. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for all the great reviews.**

**This chapter is some information on the triplets. It skips ahead a year and a half after the last one. It's long, and a fillerish chapter, but I couldn't find a good place to divide it. The previous two chapters were just to give everyone some information about how they met Mark and what happened to Katie. The next chapter will be about a month later.  
**

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Chapter 5: Stormy Night**

Meredith awoke to the sound of thunder and a flash of lightning. She groaned, but then at the crash of thunder remembered why she was getting up. She swung her legs over the bed and grabbed her robe and slippers. The clock at her bedside read 2:21. She slipped out of her room and down to the one at the way end of the hall.

The door was covered with baseball stickers from different teams and a sign on the door read in bold letters 'Zach's Room Keep Out.' The door made no noise as she slipped inside her son's room.

Baseball cards and posters were all over the room. Zach's clothes were all over the floor, and his backpack was on the floor next to his bed. In the corner was a bookshelf jammed with books and comic books. On top of his dresser different trophies sat from all the years he had played baseball. Baseball was his love.

Meredith carefully scanned the room, and just as she had suspected, he wasn't in there. Meredith walked past the bathroom the boys shared to the second bedroom furthest from her and paused until the thunder had ended and it was quiet again. Then, with the same ease and silence she crept into his room.

Jake's room was filled with everything football. Just like Zach's room it was filled with trophies, books, and clothes were strewn all over the floor. She chuckled quietly, her boys were messy. Jake wasn't in his bed either. Meredith sighed and walked as silently as she could to the last room.

It had been hers as a child, and now it was her daughters. She swung the door open and crept into Katie's room. Katie's room was painted a light purple and had pictures hanging all over it. The pictures were of everything and anything, pictures of friends, family, celebrities, letters from camp, and anything else that Katie could fit on those walls. Hanging right above her bed were three pictures.

The first one was of Meredith, Katie, Jake and Zach. They were standing in front of Disney World. Their eyes were alight with laughter and smiles were on everybody's face. Meredith tried to get a week off and take them on vacation every year, somewhere new. They had wanted to go to Disney World again last year. She had taken them, and it had been a blast. This year they wanted to go to New York, because they wanted to see RENT on Broadway and visit Uncle Mark. Meredith was still thinking about it.

The second picture was of Meredith and Derek. It was one of the few taken of them when they were happy. She was never really sure who took the picture. Meredith had turned her head to say something to Derek, and just at that moment he had leaned down to kiss her. They were smiling at each other adoringly and when it had first been developed Cristina pretended to get sick every time she saw it.

Meredith had promised to never lie to her children about there father. They knew who he was, where he was, and what had happened the night that they were conceived. Meredith told them that she would never stop them from talking to their father if they wanted to. She had waited until the three of them were ten though, to tell them the complete truth. She had figured that by then they would be old enough to make a rational decision about what they wanted. So far none of them had wanted to see him.

The last picture one was of Katie, Zach, and Jake. There were a lot of pictures like that, but this one managed to break Meredith's heart every time. The picture had been taken when they were all eleven. A bald Katie was sitting in-between her two equally bald brothers arms wrapped firmly around them. They were at the hospital and grinning. That's not what broke her heart though. In the picture Zach and Jake were dressed in street clothes, but Katie was wearing a hospital gown, looking thin and frail. But still when Burke had taken the picture Katie had had her head turned ever so slightly as had the two boys, all three caught in mid-laugh looking at each other.

In Katie's room, all three thirteen year olds were seating on her bed. Spread out was a deck of cards, and coins. Jake seemed to be winning the poker game.

"Guys" Meredith called softly.

"Hi mom. We were waiting for you." Meredith nodded.

"Ready then?"

"Mmm-hhmm. Let's go." Paradoxes, Mark always joked. Love the rain; hate the storms that the rain is sometimes accompanied by. Meredith looked at her three children taking a moment to examine them as lightning illuminated the room. Thunder was soon to follow, rattling the window panes, causing them all to wince.

Zach was perched at the end of Katie's bed, leaning against the headboard, cards in one hand, his face pulled in concentration. His eyes were slightly bleary because of the storm that was keeping them up, and his hair was a mess. It was brown just like Derek's hair. He had her eyes, and her smile and although he had Derek's hair color, Zach's hair was straight like hers. Zach's clothes were rumpled, and his Seattle Mariners t-shirt had a hole in the neck. His boxer shorts were ones that Mark had gotten him for Christmas with Homer Simpson on them.

Jake was lying across the bed on his stomach, a pile of coins in front of him grinning. Jake, Jake was completely Derek. Jake had Derek's curly brown hair, his piercing blue eyes, and Derek's know it all smirks. But in mannerisms it was all Meredith. Sometimes it hurt to look at Jake. But then he would say something or make a face, and Meredith would remember that although physically he was hers and Derek's, she was his mom, and Derek wasn't anything. He wore a t-shirt with Seattle Seahawks written on it and boxers like his brother, only on them they had money.

Meredith looked at her last child, her baby girl, and smiled. At some point, Katie had flipped her body so she was hanging upside down from the bed, half her body dangling off of it, and her cards were balanced in one hand. Meredith knew that if she lay like that for a while longer, all the blood would rush to her face, turning it bright red. Her hair had grown to a little below her ears, a page boy haircut. When Katie had her usual shoulder length hair, it was honey blonde, and tied in a ponytail. Katie's hair was blonde like Meredith's; she had a full head of straight blonde hair. It screamed Meredith. She had Meredith's smile too. Only her piercing blue eyes were her fathers. And her dimples. Those were Derek's too; all of her children had their father's dimples. She was dressed in boy boxers and a camie with hearts on it. Meredith shook her head at how alike the siblings were. They all wore boxers and t-shirts to bed every night, even now when it was a cold and windy February.

They all walked downstairs slowly Meredith supporting Katie, and Jake flipped the lights on one by one. Zach was the first one down, and gently ushered Shep out of the way. Shep, now full grown and they all joked, the family's guard dog.

"Come one, let's go into the den. Mom's making hot chocolate." Both boys nodded and supported their sister as she walked into the den. Meredith went to make hot chocolate as she listened to them laugh. Katie had long since given up fighting battles about how fine she was and let her brothers protect her as much as they wanted.

She appeared in the doorway of the den and glanced at her kids. It was just the four of them in the house now. Izzie and Alex had an apartment, but were looking for a house to move into once their second child was born. 3 year-old Hayden was waiting for his little sibling to be born. He still had 6 months.

Cristina and Burke were married with three kids. 8 year-old Diana, 6 year-old Julia, and 5 year-old Mike. They had moved into a house only a few blocks away.

Danielle, Jimmy, and Sami were living nearby; Danielle just married a few months ago to a doctor named Eric Woods.

Bailey, Tucker, and Will were still here and doing well, the six children were still best friends.

Callie and George were happily married, but without children. They had decided that they were content to just be married and be 'aunt' and 'uncle' to their best friends children. They had stayed for awhile, moving out when the triplets had been about five. Izzie and Alex had left just before they turned three and a half.

"Ready to start?"

"Yes mom." Three voices chorused. Meredith laughed and sat down between them.

She grabbed a photo album and opened it to the first page. This was their tradition. It was how they kept their minds off the storms raging outside. The first few pages were of ultra-sounds of the three of them.

The first real picture though, was of Meredith standing by herself. It was a profile shot. Her stomach was huge and she didn't look very happy in the picture. Meredith had told them that having three babies in her stomach was extremely uncomfortable. The next few pictures were of Meredith's ever growing stomach.

Finally, there was a picture of Meredith and a very tiny Zach; who was just a few hours old. That was followed by Meredith and Jake, and then Meredith and Katie.

As they went through the albums the three of them got older. Birthday parties, dance recitals, football games, baseball practices, the three of them covered in mud, different pictures flashed by.

Different family vacations too. Katie looking irritated standing in front if the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. The boys glaring into the camera while Meredith and Katie laughed at the Mall of America. All four of them in California standing by stars of different celebrities they liked.

There were pictures of Izzie, George, Callie, Burke, Cristina, and Alex doing various things with and without their children. Along with some pictures of Danielle, Sami, Jimmy, Bailey, Tucker, and Will, and even Mark was in quite a few.

There were pictures of a bald 11 year-old Katie with her two equally bald brothers who had shaved their heads 'just for her.' They went through all the albums and laughed out loud swapping stories and jokes.

The last picture in the album had been taken just a few weeks ago. They had had a 'Congratulations' party for Burke who had just been named Chief. Cristina stood with her arm around him, Diana, Julia, and Mike scattered at their feet smiling.

Izzie stood with Alex, Hayden balanced on her hip. You could just see the beginnings of her stomach.

Bailey stood with her husband and Will, while Danielle stood with Sami and Jimmy. Her husband of almost a year stood next to her. Jimmy and Sami adored him.

Mark had been in that week for another consult, and had managed to make the party. Adele and Richard stood together as well. You could tell Richard's eyes were a little misty if you looked closely enough.

Callie and George stood together almost kissing, and Meredith stood next to Mark with Katie, Jake and Zach in front of her arms protectively over Zach and Jake while Katie stood in between them, their arms wrapped protectively over her.

The last book ended and the four of them just sat there for a moment before Meredith stood up and walked into the kitchen. She came back holding a tray that had four cupcakes and four glasses of milk.

Each person grabbed a glass of milk, and clinked them together in a mock toast. After everyone took a sip, homemade chocolate cupcakes from Izzie were handed out and eaten with delight.

"I love cupcakes."

"Me too."

Meredith laughed as she looked at her three children. Once they were finished with their cupcakes and milk, they played a few rounds of poker. When the storm was finally dying down, she kissed them and sent them upstairs to bed. Meredith thanked God that it was Saturday; otherwise, she would have three very crabby children tomorrow.

Meredith stood up, and walking around the house checked the doors, windows, and made sure all the lights were off. At the foot of the stairs, Meredith paused and allowed her thoughts to drift. Derek was the only one who wasn't afraid of storms. But, he was in New York doing God knows what. Mark always told her he was fine, but she didn't care. Or at least, that's what she told herself. He had never been there, and Meredith knew, never would be.

He hadn't been there when Zach was 10 and had fallen out of the tree house and broken his leg. Or the first time when Katie was 7 when they had found out that she had leukemia. Or when a nine year old Jake had been riding his bike and flipped over the handle bars. He had needed eight-two stitches to close his head wound.

Derek hadn't been there when Jake had been found a match a year and two months ago to Katie's bone marrow. Or when the transplant had finally worked and the cancer was gone seven months ago. He hadn't been there to hold Zach while he worried, or give Jake kisses after his surgery. He hadn't been there for Katie's gallows humor about her disease.

First steps, first words, first home runs, goals and touchdowns, first singing competition and ballet recital, first solid food, nothing.

Derek hadn't been there when Meredith had to go through the painful question about why they didn't have a daddy not once, but three times. Or why Grandma Ellis didn't know who they were, or who mommy was, and why the doctors couldn't make her all better. Meredith wiped her tears away and climbed up the stairs into her room. Before that though, she checked in on each of her babies giving them a kiss, and making sure they were safely tucked in.

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So... what do you think? It was a lot of information, but I promise the next chapter will be interesting. 


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm posting twice in one day, because tomorrow I'm up at six, and out of the house from 7:30 til at least 4:30ish. We might be going to relay for life to cheer on my sister, and then I'm off to my dads this weekend for father's day. (Blah. Three weekends in a row :( Pure torture and babysitting.) Anyway, I may be able to post on Saturday, but otherwise, so long until Monday.**

**This is about a month later. There's some Izzie/Alex and Cristina in this chapter.  
**

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**Chapter 6: Tornado Alley**

Meredith rolled over in her sleep and pulled a pillow over her head trying to drown out the chimes of the doorbell and the barking of Shep. She had no idea who it was at the door, but she didn't care.

As Meredith finally dozed back off to sleep she felt someone shake her arm.

"Meredith. Come one Meredith, get up I need to talk to you." Vaguely recognizing Cristina's voice she rolled over and pulled the pillow off her face.

"What would possible possess you to come to my house at – 5:15 in the morning, on my day off, and _then_ after ringing the bell for ten minutes, finally have the brilliant idea to _use your key!_"

"Good morning to you to Meredith." It was only then that Meredith looked Cristina in the eye. Her face was red and blotchy as if she had been crying. Cristina Yang-Burke never cried.

"Oh God. Cristina, what's wrong? Is it Izzie, the baby?" As Meredith rattled off frantic questions and sat up in bed ready to leave at moments notice. Her family was the most important thing in the world to her. Cristina grabbed her arm and covered Meredith's mouth to shut her up.

"Just listen to me for a second okay? Calm down, and for the love of God don't wake up your children."

"Too late Aunt Cris."

The triplets stood in the doorway of Meredith's room all looking at her with tired and worried looks on their faces. Expressions; Cristina thought sadly that you usually only saw on adults that expected the worst news that anyone could give them. But that was life in the Grey household. Life had not given them the greatest hand in the world, and they were always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Cristina often compared their lives to a tornado. It would whip in, destroy what they had and then leave. Everyone around them was usually damaged by the tornado, so they had to help themselves.

"Richard, he was in a car accident, and, it was really bad, they had to use the Jaws of Life to get him out."

Cristina didn't have to finish her sentence, anything with the 'Jaws of Life' and 'really bad' in one sentence plus Cristina's tear streaked face could only mean one thing.

"No. He couldn't have been, because that would mean the ex-chief, the man who I consider my father almost, who my children call grandpa is gone, is dead, and he isn't coming back. And that can't happen."

Cristina didn't try to convince Meredith otherwise, she just looked at her. Meredith began to cry. She opened her arms, and her three children ran into them and she held them tightly as they began to cry as well.

"Shh… it'll be okay."

The only response from them was to nestle deeper on her arms. At some point Zach reached out and grabbed Cristina, pulling her into their little sobbing circle. They stayed like that for a little while holding onto each other crying for the man who was their family.

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"You do it." The two of them stared at the phone in Bailey's office, as if trying to get it to call the person in question itself. 

"Alex I called Cristina and Bailey, _and_ was on-call when he came in, I'm not doing it, you do it."

"If I do it, then whose going to call the other one, because there is no way in hell that I am going to call both of them."

"We'll have him do it. That's what he deserves."

"Iz."

"What, someone's got to tell her and him, and tell them that they both should fly out here, and it's not going to be me."

Izzie's head was resting on Alex's shoulder, her face was tearstained, and Alex's eyes were sad. He had shed a few tears earlier, but had stopped.

"You could call Mark's cell and hope he answers. Then he could tell both of them, and we wouldn't have to do it."

Izzie sighed and shifted a sleeping Hayden in her lap so he wasn't leaning against her slightly bulging stomach as much. He moved slightly in his sleep and put his thumb in his mouth. Alex took him and rubbed Izzie's back reassuringly.

"But then eventually he'd have to explain to Satan and McAsshole how we got a hold of him. I mean, he can't just be like, 'oh yeah, whenever I come out here, I see Meredith, and her three children who are your ex-husbands that he doesn't know about. But they love me and I love them and they call me Uncle Mark, and all their friends like me, so we talk to each other a lot' yeah just imagine that, that'd go over well." Izzie muttered sarcastically.

"True."

"Alex, you're calling McAsshole or Satan, or I swear to God I'm never going to sleep with you again."

Alex sighed "Fine."

"Good," Izzie leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I love you Alex."

Alex laughed and handing Hayden back to her stood up to leave the hospital, and use his cell phone to call Derek. Izzie knew that it wasn't a conversation he wanted to have in front of her. "I love you too Izzie."

Derek moaned and buried his face deeper into his pillow. After just working an eighty hour shift, it better not be the hospital that was calling him.

"Shepard."

"Dr. Shepard, I don't know if you remember me, my name is Alex Karev. I was an intern at Seattle Grace while you worked there."

"Yeah, I remember you."

Instantly his heart quickened at the thought of Seattle. Meredith was in Seattle. Seattle was his heart. Something could be wrong with her. He zoned back in and let out a gasp as he heard Alex telling him about Richard Webber. Tears began to stream down his face at the thought of his mentor and old friend.

Before he even realized it, Derek was nodding and agreeing to call Addison Montgomery-Sloane.

Derek stood there for a few minutes after talking to Karev, just staring at the phone in shock. Then, his thoughts shifted to Meredith. Richard was like father to her, or at least had been all those years ago.

Derek would see her at the funeral, and then he would be able to tell if she was okay or not. At least he hoped so, if Meredith would even talk to him. Who knows? Derek mused; a lot had changed over fourteen years, hadn't it?

Quickly, Derek called Addison, and after talking to Mark, who told a heartbroken Addison they agreed to get on the fastest open flight for the three of them. The funeral was going to be in three days. In three days people would say good-bye to the beloved man that they all adored.

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Please, please don't hate me. I had to do it. Unless you wanted me to kill someone like Mark or Meredith or even one of the kids. That would be bad. 

Review, but please, don't be angry (ducks flying objects)


	7. Chapter 7

**So, I know I said that I wasn't going to post today, but I found time for you lovely people. It turns out that we will be home and chillin' tonight, and tomorrow I can sleep in! I was running on five hours of sleep from last night. Anyway, we had camp today and we talked about Corey. I'm dedicating this chapter to him. He was killed in a car accident almost a year ago and is greatly missed.**

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**Chapter 7: Eye of The Storm**

Seattle had always been a rainy place; it was something people continually complained about. How cold and dreary Seattle was, more then once Meredith had been asked how she could have been happy growing up here.

The answer was easy, Seattle was her home. But, today, when she thought about it, looking out the window as the rain fell in heavy sheets around her and many other people hurrying into the church, Meredith wasn't so sure.

Katie, Jake and Zach ran in with her, holding hands like they always did when something bad happened. Over the past few days, the bouts of crying had slowed, but today, Meredith knew wouldn't help any. She had sent the three of them inside to grab seats with the rest of the 'family', but had opted to stay outside for a little while longer for some fresh air.

Meredith was lying to herself. She had talked to Mark who had said that they would be at the funeral, but didn't say when they were getting in. So now, here Meredith was, waiting for Mark, which was her excuse anyway, because she knew that once she saw Mark, they couldn't be anything but formal with each other. Addison and Derek didn't know about their 'sister/brother, you're the Uncle of my children' relationship.

She was really waiting for McDreamy. But that could never happen. Not again, especially because of the three children who where hers, that were waiting inside for her, the ones that depended on her every day.

With a sigh Meredith turned and walked into the church. As she turned around and walked into the church, three people stepped out of a car.

One had red hair, but thankfully, had left the salmon scrubs at home. Her face was covered in tears and she leaned on the man next to her for support. The man she was leaning on was a familiar sight to all of them; he had blue eyes, brown hair and was known as 'Uncle Mark' or 'McSteamy' depending on the age of each person.

The third and final person was one that had only been seen in pictures by most, but they knew him all the same. Derek Shepard, the ex-love of Meredith's Mclife.

Derek shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The priest was droning on and on about what a wonderful man Richard had been in the church, but Derek couldn't find it in himself to care about the church. So, he donated money because he had it. That's why he got this long speech.

More people came up and talked about what a great man Richard had been and how he affected their lives. Derek was ready to leave. He didn't understand why the one person who had practically been Richard's daughter hadn't given a speech yet.

A small girl stood up and walked to the front of the room. She looked to be in her early teens. Her face was red from crying and she looked confused about being up there by herself. Then, two boys appeared next to her. This seemed to ease her tense tearstained face a little bit. She leaned over to speak into the microphone her voice thick with grief.

"Richard Webber was a wonderful doctor." _oh no, please not another, 'he saved my life story.'_ Derek thought as he finally full inspected the girl. She had blue eyes, and honey colored blonde hair that just brushed her chin.

"But, besides a wonderful doctor, he was also the closest thing I ever had to a grandfather. My name is Katie, and I'm thirteen years old. These are my two brothers Zach and Jake. We're triplets.

My dad was never around growing up, and he still isn't, but Grandpa Richard was always there. He loved to make us laugh. I also have a bunch of aunts and uncles who aren't really blood. Grandpa Richard was part of the glue that held our family together. All of my family is from Seattle Grace, the closest ones were once all surgical interns together. Richard was the one who hired them, and helped them meet each other. I was elected out of our family to speak; we decided that if all of us came up, we would be here forever, because we all have so many memories of him.

When I was seven years old, I was diagnosed with Leukemia. Grandpa Richard used to sneak into my room at night and bring me Hershey's Chocolate bars. He tried to act like a tough, strict surgeon, but really he was just a big teddy bear."

Katie looked around at the sea of faces before her. She was having trouble not breaking down into tears again. She felt Zach and Jake each wrap a protective arm around her back in understanding and sighed softly.

"He used to let my mom leave work early, because she was a single mother trying to raise three children. When she was in the middle of a surgery, he was one of the people who picked us up from school and tried to cook us dinner. We usually ended up ordering pizza though, because we were afraid that we would end up burning the house down. My brothers and I aren't good cooks."

The girl let out a sad laugh "Grandpa Richard wasn't one either. He set our oven on fire once. We had to call the fire department and everything." There was a chuckle through the rows of pews.

"Grandpa Richard tried to make it to everyone of our sporting events, school functions, choral events, and anything else that we are involved in. That, let me tell you is not and easy feat because there are after all, three of us. But, a lot of the time, he managed to make it to everyone's event. When mom couldn't make it, he was there. Someone always was; our family is like that. But, if Grandpa Richard couldn't be there, he always made sure to ask us how it went. We used to tease him and call him Superman because that what he seemed like to us. He was larger then life.

Grandpa Richard put up with all of our music, but he didn't like most of it. I have a song that I'd like to sing to him one last time. It was one of his favorites that I would sing for him, although he would never admit that he loved it. It's called Never Be Forgotten, By Jessica Andrews." Katie took a deep breath and began to sing her voice filling the room and soaring.

"_I'll always see your face  
The corner of your smile  
And all the little things that no one will ever know  
Like it was yesterday, won't ever fade away  
Goodbye is just a word that I will never say_

_You will never be forgotten  
A million days could pass us by  
But what is time but just a dream  
Oh I still feel you here with me  
You're more than a memory  
Oh you will never be forgotten_

_I can't hold your hand  
Or look into your eyes  
And when I talk to you  
It just echoes in my mind  
But If hearts are made of dust  
And if we fell from the stars  
I look up tonight and know just where you are_

_You will never be forgotten  
A million days could pass us by  
But what is time but just a dream  
Oh I still feel you here with me  
You're more than a memory  
Oh you will never be forgotten_

_And the world just keeps on going  
It has no way of knowing  
That you're gone_

_You will never be forgotten  
A million days could pass us by  
But what is time but just a dream  
Oh I still feel you here with me  
You're more than a memory  
Oh you will never be forgotten"_

Katie wiped tears from her eyes and blew a kiss at the casket that sat behind her. "I love you Grandpa Richard, I'll never forget you." The two boys echoed her statement and all walked off to the side tears streaming down their faces.

Derek watched the children walk away. He hadn't expected that at all. He shot a glance over at Addison who was also crying. Mark was staring at the girl in an odd way. When you recognized someone, but didn't want to go talk to them for some reason or another, but at the same time you did.

_I'll figure it out later. Maybe he can tell me who that girl's mother is. She did a good job raising them._ They rose as one to say the end prayer and leave for the cemetery.

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Corey Diamond: 7/7/90-7/23/06

Not a lot of Mer/Der, just the funeral, but the next few chapters will be intense. I can tell you. Maybe Monday or Saturday, depending on how soon we have to get to our dad's.

Also, side note: I've only been to two funeral's, and the first one I don't remember. The second was Corey's and it was such a sad day that I didn't even want to try and write that, so I made it the way I wanted to. Sorry if it was really really wrong.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for all the reviews. I said I wasn't going to update. But, here I am. I think I'm addicted. Chapter eight.  
**

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**Chapter 8: Destruction**

Mark walked slowly behind Addison and Derek lost in his thoughts about Katie, Zach, Jake and Meredith.

He knew he really shouldn't go up to them at the cemetery, but when Katie was up there singing, she had seemed so broken. He had just wanted to go and hug her.

Addison was leaning on Derek as they talked about Richard in hushed voices. Mark almost wanted to tell them that he knew the man, that whenever he came here he saw Richard and Adele.

Mark would always ask if Meredith needed anything. He knew that her family could take care of them, and she could take care of herself, but he always had to double check. Mark was Derek's closest friend, and he always felt responsibility towards what was going on in their lives.

At the slightest hint of anything drastic, he was ready to call Derek. Of course, every time he tried, he either got caught, or he couldn't do it.

Addison and Derek had stopped to talk to Bailey and Mark was walking towards the car by himself to wait for them, when out of the corner of his eye he saw the four of them.

Katie was leaning on Jake, and Meredith had her arm wrapped around Zach. They were moving slowly, as if it hurt to walk. He glanced behind him to make sure that Derek and Addison were still talking to Bailey.

And Mark couldn't help it. "Meredith!" He watched as all four of them turned and Katie's face light up into a smile followed by the rest of them. She ran towards him arms out spread like she was five years old again.

"Uncle Mark!"

"Hey Katie." Mark caught her up in his arms and gave her a bear hug as Meredith, Zach and Jake slowly made there way over to him.

"Hi Uncle Mark."

"Hey Uncle Mark."

Jake and Zach chorused. Meredith just smiled tiredly at him tear tracks evident on her cheeks.

"How you guys holding up?"

"Not so good."

Katie rested her head against his chest.

"Everyone's coming over and we're going to swap stories and talk about Grandpa Richard. It's gonna be happy and funny. We don't want anymore tears. Do you wanna come?"

"And bring Derek and Addison?"

"Why not?" Meredith asked with a sigh. "Nothing bad can happen to make the day any worse, can it?"

"Nope, not that I know of."

"Know of what?"

Mark turned to see Derek and Addison standing a few feet away. Bailey was walking towards her car where Tucker and Will waited. Katie was still in his arms and she just stared at the two of them tiredly.

"Know of anything that could make today worse."

Derek looked at the child in surprise. She was the one who was singing earlier. She seemed to know Mark pretty well; she was wrapped on his embrace. Derek let his eyes travel to the rest of the group. The two boys who had been up with her, her brothers, and… Meredith?

Meredith Grey had three children. Derek stared at her in shock. It was possible, he had just never thought about it.

"Dr. Shepard, Dr. Montgomery-Sloane" he heard her acknowledge.

"Come on guys, we need to get going, we don't want or need everyone back at the house before us."

"Why not? They have keys. They used to live there."

"Not all of them Katie" one of the boys said "if they all used to live there our house would be scary crazy."

"It wasn't already scary crazy?"

"Well, it was but it would've been scary crazier." The second boy pointed out.

"Does that even make sense Zach?"

"Shut up Jake, you guys know what I mean." Meredith looked at her three children and tossed the girl the keys.

"First one to the car chooses music."

The three of them took off and as they ran Zach called out "there is no way I'm listening to Moulin Rouge again Katie."

"Wanna bet?" She laughed. As they disappeared towards the car Derek looked back at Meredith who had a small sad smile on her face.

"It was nice seeing you guys."

Meredith waved and walked away to catch up with her children, Derek staring after her a lost, but still McDreamy look on his face.

Meredith looked just as good as she had fourteen years ago, and had sent Derek spiraling back into feelings that he tried to keep at bay for that long.

* * *

Sami looked at her best friend like she was crazy. 

"He's here?"

"Mmm-hhm." She confirmed. "So is his ex-wife, who is now currently married to my Uncle, and of course Mark is here too."

"You should really make a Lifetime Movie. It would be hilarious. Maybe add like an abusive boyfriend to spice it up."

"Yeah" Katie mused. "Or she could be married." Both girls chuckled as the doorbell rang.

"Wow, I wonder who it is?" Katie called over her shoulder in sarcasm as she walked towards the front door.

"Well, everyone else is already here, so I'd go with Mark, or Finn and Charlotte. Or maybe even a surprise visit from the McDreamster himself." Adele was stopping by later, she had some final arrangements to make and then she was joining the Story-Fest

"We can call him McDreamy?"

"Why not, it's your Lifetime movie." Katie laughed and opened the door smiling. Shep raced behind her nearly knocking her over, and she grabbed his collar firmly.

"Shep, down _now_."

He sat and Katie looked up into the others eyes of her Uncle Finn, and his wife, her Aunt Charlotte. Mark was a few steps behind them. She heard Sami in the background laughing. Their house was always crazy.

"Oh shut up Sami."

"Two words Katie, Lifetime movie."

"I know, I know, now go, den, now. We should get started."

Sami nodded and walked out of the foyer. Katie turned back to usher Finn, Charlotte and Mark into the house.

"Lifetime movie?"

"It's a long story. And when I say long, I mean long. Everyone's already here, and we're just about to get started. How'd you escape Satan and McAss?"

"You shouldn't call him McAss sweetheart, or her Satan."

"Right, yeah, whatever, so how'd you escape McWife and McBastard?"

Mark glared at her. "You shouldn't call him McBastard either; I guess McWife is better though. They went to spend some quality time together at the hotel bar while I went out and did 'things'. I told them I would go to the hospital and see if they needed any help."

"That's a good one. Hi Uncle Finn, Aunt Charlotte."

"Hi Katie."

"Everyone's in the den, come one let's go."

The two men and one woman followed Katie obediently like little puppies and she fought back the ridiculous urge to laugh. Katie stepped into the den and hellos were exchanged from everyone.

Finn and Charlotte sat down on the floor. Julia immediately skipped over to Finn in excitement. Ever since she had decided to be vet when she grew up, the two of them had been best friends.

"Okay guys, who wants to start?"

There was a general rustling as everyone settled down, and Meredith sighed as she observed the people she knew as her family. It didn't matter that none of them were related through blood, they were family no matter what.

No one wanted to really break the comfortable silence that they had. Family was like that. But, they needed to talk about Richard, it was part of the healing process, and this way they could all do it together.

"I will."

* * *

Katie sighed as she closed the door behind her. Everyone was gone, except for Mark, but they wanted to catch up with him, so that was okay. 

She hoped that McWife and McAss were drunk enough not to notice that Mark was still gone. They needed him right now. He was one of the closest things they had to a father.

Katie knew that she probably shouldn't use her Aunt Cristina's nickname for her dad, and the other old nickname for his ex-wife, but they fit how she felt.

Even if Derek was Marks best friend and Addison was the love of his life. She hated Derek with a fiery passion, but didn't really care about Addison one way or another.

Addison she couldn't help but also feel a little sorry for. Her husband was lying to her about her ex-husbands ex-girlfriend who had had three children by him.

Katie walked into the kitchen to grab a cookie and some milk when the doorbell rang. Katie heard Mark yell that he had it, so she continued to eat her cookie, but walked to the foyer to see who it was. What she found was not a pretty sight.

Derek rang the doorbell and shifted slightly impatiently. He knew that he shouldn't be there, it was obvious Meredith had moved on, but there was still a small sliver of hope left in him. The door opened and Derek found himself face to face with Mark.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Derek was seething, and slightly drunk. Mark had traveled to Seattle _a lot_ for Dr. Webber when he was still alive to do some consults.

"So, Addison wasn't enough for you? Every time you came out here you slept with Meredith too? Wow she really is a whore." Derek was on the ground before he could even blink, Mark glaring at him.

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

Derek looked up to hear rustling, and turned to see Katie standing in the doorway eyes wide. Her hand was wrapped around the collar of a dog who was barking furiously.

"Katie, go get your brothers and go upstairs. _Now._"

"No. I want to see the show; this is going to be interesting."

Either the girl was ignoring his remark about her mother being a whore or didn't hear it. Meredith, Zach and Jake had appeared to see what all the commotion was about.

"After all" she added innocently "he is my father."

* * *

There you go. Derek knows. Next time: What will he have to say? Dun dun dun...

Review!


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks for all the reviews. Last time Katie had just told him that he was a daddy. Let's see where that goes...

* * *

Chapter 9: Aftermath**

"What?" Derek exclaimed. He was stone cold sober now. Katie looked at Mark and smiled.

"I think I'll go to my room now." She escaped upstairs Jake and Zach trailing behind her.

"I think I'm going to leave now." Mark gave Meredith a hug, and a sympathetic smile. He would've liked to stay and protect his family, but he knew that Meredith needed to talk to Derek by herself. "I'll talk to you guys tomorrow okay? Call me." Derek continued to stare at Meredith. She looked at him and sighed.

"You might as well come in." Derek stepped into the house and surveyed it. Pictures hung on the walls, most of the kids. Other family lined the wall as well. Mark was in quite a few pictures.

"So does Mark come here a lot?" Meredith rolled her eyes at what Derek's tone was indicating.

"If you're going to act like that get out of my house." Meredith didn't even bat an eyelash at his comment. She had been expecting it. "I doubt Katie let the cat out of the bag for you to come here and be an asshole. So, get over yourself."

"Get over myself?" Derek laughed.

"I just found out that I have three children. Three thirteen year-old children, that don't seem to like me very much. And these children know my best friend better then they know me. And the love of my life couldn't even tell me that I had any children. So don't you dare tell me to get over myself. I'll be seeing you later Meredith, with my children mind you. They court will be interested to learn that you kept them from me. I want them. Unless, of course, they really aren't mine."

With that Derek stomped out of the house slamming the door behind him. He needed a drink, and an old friend who happened to be a bartender.

* * *

"Hey Joe." 

"Ah, Dr. Shepard, you're back." Derek looked at the bartender.

"I don't work here anymore. It's Derek."

"What brings you to this neck of the woods?"

"Richards' funeral." Joe nodded sympathetically. "Joe, I'm warning you beforehand, I'm going to need a cab." The bartender looked up and raised an eyebrow. "I met three kids tonight. The ones that are mine, that no one told me about."

"Oh. Then the first one is on the house."

"Thanks Joe, but Derek is leaving." Derek turned around to see Mark.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Derek asked before he hauled back and hit Mark in the face. Mark fell to the floor, and a few people at the bar stopped talking and looked to see what was happening.

"Okay, so maybe I deserved that." Mark stood up and rubbed his jaw.

"Maybe?" Mark turned and smiled at Joe before settling on the barstool next to Derek.

"I was there when Katie decided to drop the bomb about daddy dearest over here." Joe nodded still looking confused but poured him a drink anyway.

He was still a steady listener about the drama in PPTH and knew the 'Three Stooges' as his own niece and nephews. Mark would always stop by, but he wasn't sure why Mark was randomly lying on his Bar floor. Derek was sober at the moment.

"She said she was going to her room, but the three of them were really listening at the top of the stairs. You know how they are Joe." That earned a snort from the bartender. Their actions in the house, at the bar,(they were let in on special occasions) and at the hospital were famous.

"Anyway, Derek threatened to take them away from Meredith, if they were even really his, so before I reached the hotel, I got a hysterical phone call from Katie about Derek taking them away and how there was no way she was going to New York, unless it was for spring break or some of the summer with her brothers and Meredith like they had wanted to. I figured he would be here, and I decided I needed to talk to him."

Derek was staring at Mark in shock. "I made her cry. I made my daughter cry."

"Well, apparently you don't know if she's your daughter or not. Derek, you tore into that place, and in all of about 5 minutes managed to reduce two people to tears, and two other people into a crazy shock, and complete denial that you're their father. Oh wait, make that three in denial, two in tears, and one unsure how to clean up the destruction you left behind."

"I made her cry." Derek repeated still in shock.

"I think you need a drink more then Derek does." Joe comment. "Too bad Mer doesn't come in often anymore. She could probably use some tequila."

"Yeah. I bet that if the kids were old enough they could use some too." Mark turned back to Derek "Yes you made her cry, now get over it and figure out how to fix it. I'm going to see my wife, she's probably wondering where I am by now." Mark stood up, and tossed a ten on the bar top.

"Katie wanted me to talk to you, but I don't know what to say. So I'll only say two things, one, if you hurt any of them I will be forced to kill you. Two, those kids, and their mother, however much they say they hate you don't. When I first came here, all they wanted to know about was their daddy. And Meredith let me tell them everything I could remember that was appropriate. She told them everything that she remembered too. Not that it was a lot or anything, because apparently you were very secretive. The whole having wife thing made you keep a lot from her, that's what I heard anyway." Derek's blue eyes widened in surprise. "I thought they hated me."

"At one time they didn't hate you, but now I think they do."

"Oh that's comforting."

"Well, look at what you did today Derek. How would you feel if you were them? When you figure that out, come see me." Mark was out the door of Joe's and into the night before Derek could get out another word.

* * *

Yeah... Derek's and idiot and a bunch of other choice words. But, what did you think?

Review, you know you want to!

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10, it's time for Addie to find out about them... **

* * *

**Chapter 10: Secrets and Ideas**

Mark walked into his hotel room and greeted Addison tiredly. She was sitting on their bed, holding a cup of coffee, curled up towards the headboard waiting for him.

"Sorry I'm so late."

"S'okay, what took so long though?" Just as Mark was about to answer, the door between the adjourning room burst open and revealed Derek.

"I think I figured it out Mark, but I'm not sure." He didn't seem to notice Addison who looked confused. "I want to – to make it up to them I guess, but I don't know how. Hell, I don't even know what their names are." Mark sighed and walked over to his suitcase. He leaned down and searching through it picked up a few pictures that were wallet sized.

"These are their school pictures from this year. First one is Zack, then Jake, and then Katie. This is from Richard's retirement party. This is the three of them after Katie's transplant, and this is from when they went on Vacation to Disney World over the summer." Derek looked at them in fascination. He hadn't seemed to hear the word 'transplant' as he stared at their faces, not the backgrounds. Addison had gotten off the bed and was now watching them confused.

"Someone want to tell me what's going on?" Derek looked at her in surprise.

"Mark didn't tell you?" He turned to look at Mark who shrugged.

"I wasn't supposed to. I kept my word."

"Wasn't supposed to what?"

"I have children. Three actually." Derek took the pictures from Mark and waved them in the air. "They're thirteen. Triplets. Oh, but it gets better, they're Meredith's."

"Meredith? As in Meredith Grey?"

"Yep. The one's we saw today. That's gotta be ironic in some way. Not really sure how though. I have not one, but three children of Meredith's Grey's, ex-love of my life."

"Ex-love?" Addison asked raising an eyebrow.

"I don't love her anymore. She betrayed me." Derek was trying to sound convincing, but it wasn't working on his best friend and ex-wife. They knew about the countless hours he had spent, lost in thought over her.

"You just keep telling yourself that Derek. Maybe, eventually it will come true, but it doesn't matter, she's in love with you too. At least, she used to be." Mark shook his head. "But really? That's beside the point right now, because you have to get your children's approval before you start even thinking about _talking_ to her."

Derek snorted. "So all of a sudden, I come back to Seattle, and sweep my children and their mother off their feet? Right, and then we can get married and live happily ever after." Mark sighed.

"That's not what I meant. You just five minutes ago came barging in here and told me you want to get to know your children. Well, to do that you have to see them again first."

"But they hate me." Derek protested weakly.

Mark rolled his eyes. "And once again with the hating. They're teenagers Derek; they're supposed to hate you."

"They don't hate Meredith."

"They did. Right now they don't though. Get used to it Derek. I can help you but only so much. I think its bedtime. Now out."

Mark pushed Derek back into his room gently taking the pictures from him and closing the door. He turned to Addison who strode over to him. For a minute he feared that she would slap him, and he would deserve it he knew.

"Why?" Mark winced at the heartbreak in her eyes.

"Why what?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Mark sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Addie, - it's kind of hard to understand, but I'll try. When I first ran into Meredith at the hospital the triplets were five. I was walking, and Katie ran into me." He let out a small laugh. "Literally. And then she asked who I was. Meredith couldn't tell her that she didn't know me. I became 'Uncle Mark', and promised to come over for dinner that night. We talked and she was – she was just so – broken."

Mark winced at the memory of Meredith eyes wide and full of tears. "She begged me not to tell Derek about the three of them, she couldn't stand for him to come and then leave. Said it would break their hearts. So I didn't. For the past eight years I have not breathed a word to a single soul outside of Seattle about the three of them. I wanted to tell you Addie, I really did, but – well, I just, I couldn't do that to them."

Addison stopped him before he could continue. "Well, now that I know about them, can I meet them?"

Mark looked at her in surprise. "You want to meet them?"

"Is that so hard to believe?" She asked dryly.

"It's just that when you were in Seattle, you and Meredith didn't exactly get along." Mark was struggling to find the right words.

"You mean I hated her because Derek was in love with her? I'm over that."

"Oh" Mark stuttered "that's good. I don't really see why you couldn't meet them, but that's not really up to me."

"So, who gets to decide if I can meet them?"

"Meredith, usually she knows what's going on, but really it's their decision. They try not to stress Katie out to much; she gets sick of them treating her like glass, even if the stress is bad, so we could do what I usually do."

"Which is?"

"Show up at the house uninvited and con them into giving me free food."

"Yep, that sounds like you. But, why do they only try not to stress out Katie?" Mark looked startled and then he realized that she must've forgotten about the speech at the funeral and the picture he had shown Derek of after the transplant.

"Katie had leukemia. They found it when she was seven, and tried chemo. It went into remission, and came back when she was eleven. Then it went into remission again. It came back about a year ago a few months before their thirteenth birthday. They tested Zach and Jake's bone marrow. Jake's was a match. She had the surgery, and just went into remission about eight months ago, but everyone still treats her with caution. She gets sick of it." Mark shrugged and tried to brush away the images of a sick Katie from his mind. "We can go tomorrow, they don't have school, and Mer probably won't be working."

"Okay." Addison nodded face startled, then she froze. "That one time you came back to New York, you had shaved your head. You told me it was because a patient of yours won a bet."

"It was for Katie, when she was eleven. We all did it. Jake, Zach, Will, Jimmy, Burke, Richard, George, Alex. Katie refused to let the girls cut their hair, but they all cut their hair short." Mark kissed her. "Now m'dear, I think it's time for bed."

* * *

So? Addison and the kids? I know there wasn't a lot of Richard stuff in this chapter, but there will be some next time...

Review! You know you want to.


	11. Chapter 11

**This part is a little random. It goes from Mark and Addie (last chapter) to this chapter and then to the next morning with Mark and Addie (Next chapter). Sorry if it's a little confusing. **

* * *

**Chapter 11: Richard**

Meredith lay in her bed, letting tears drip down her face silently. Richard had been her father in every way that mattered. He had cared about her, loved her, and treated her like the daughter that he had never had.

He had loved her not because she was Ellis Grey's daughter, but in spite of it. Though it was through Ellis that they had met, he was her father even without Ellis there.

"Mom?" Meredith turned her head and saw her three children standing at the door.

"Hey guys, what's up?" She tried to speak normal, but her thick voice gave her away, as well as her red eyes.

"We wanted to know if we could stay with you tonight Mom." Jake was looking at her, eyes trusting.

Katie nodded from next to him. "Yeah."

"Okay." Meredith could never say no to her babies about things like that. When they were little, she had been firm with them about many things, but nightmares and thunderstorms were reasons for them to all cuddle in her big bed. And this, it was worse then a nightmare, because in nightmares you woke up.

Meredith rolled over so that she was in the middle of the bed, towards the foot and all took their familiar places. Zach lay on one side while Jake grabbed the other and Katie curled herself by Meredith's head.

"He's not going to take us away is he?"

"I won't let him baby. He won't."

Meredith motioned for Katie to come closer and the four of them jammed together in a tight hug that would knock the air out of some people's lungs, but it was who they were, a Grey Family Sandwich.

"I miss him." This time it was Zach's voice instead of Jake's. Her first baby boy. He was talking about Richard, not Derek. Meredith felt her throat closing up. One man they loved was gone, and this strange man that they were all now terrified of was there instead.

"I do too."

"It's okay to be sad Mom." Katie buried her head further into the sandwich. Zach and Jake both nodded. They took care of each other in ways that fourteen year-olds shouldn't have had to, but it was who they were.

"He wasn't supposed to die." Her voice was soft and she felt her children tighten their holds around her in a tight comfort. They were her support system and sometimes when she let herself cry, she was just one of them.

Meredith had always thought of Richard just like her children had. He wasn't supposed to die. He was greater then God even. Nothing could strike him down. He wasn't supposed to die. He was supposed to live longer then all of them. To see her children grow up and get married. To be a great-grandpa. He was supposed to survive her. To be there to take Katie down the aisle and stand up for Jake and Zach. Just to – to _be_.

Adele too. Adele was the mother she never had. The mother who hugged her, kissed her, told her she was the best daughter a woman could ever want. Ellis had never called her anything but normal. Yet, there was Adele, her mother's affairs wife hugging her and her children and telling them how much she loved them. How they were more then she could ever ask for. How proud she was to call them her family. For them to be her grandchildren and her daughter.

"He wasn't supposed to die." At those words Meredith's voice broke.

He father, her _dad_, even if he wasn't by blood had been dead for barely four days, his body barely laid to rest, and they were already dealing with more then Meredith felt she could handle. She watched her children hug her tighter and wished that Richard was there. Maybe she would wake up and everything would be a dream.

* * *

Cristina sat up in bed. She had been tossing and turning for hours. It was useless. She couldn't sleep.

"Cristina?"

"Go back to sleep Pres. I'll be back soon." Burke didn't really say anything, just turned around and went back to sleep.

She slipped out of her house, leaving a quick note telling her husband she would be back soon so he didn't freak out. The night conversations he usually barely remembered.

She opened the front door and almost screamed when she saw Izzie and Alex standing there. Izzie was resting her head on Alex's shoulder her four-month belly barely a round bump.

"Couldn't sleep either?"

"No. We were wondering if you could take Hay for a few hours." Cristina took the sleeping baby from his daddy and looked at the clock.

"I'll go give him to Preston. Call Bambi and make sure that he's freakin' awake. I don't want to have to go get him."

"I'm right here Cristina. Let's go." George appeared from the shadows, disheveled and tired. Cristina nodded, and disappeared inside.

She woke up Burke, told him what was going on and handed him the sleeping child, who slept through all of it without a peep.

They headed off to grab their sister. The one who was hurting in the worst way possible.

* * *

Cristina let the group into the house and she quickly bend down and let Shep figure out who it was so that he didn't make noise and wake anyone who wasn't already up, up.

The four crept to Meredith's room and couldn't help but smiling at the sight. The four Grey's were curled together, arms and bodies overlapping. Meredith had rolled out slightly and was still awake.

"Hey guys." She whispered.

"Hey Mer." George replied for all of them.

She stood up and kissed each child on the forehead. None stirred. The five filed silently out of the room and down to the kitchen. Once there, Meredith grabbed a chair and dragged it over to the fridge. Then, she climbed on it and pulled down and bottle of tequila.

"God damn it." She swung back a shot of straight tequila and filled them in on what had happened in the past few hours.

"So McAss wants the McKiddies." Meredith snorted. Only Cristina called them the McKiddies still. It had been their nickname for the first few years of their life.

"I'd like to see him try." Alex replied. "I'll kick his ass."

"Oh God. This is gonna be a long night." George moaned sadly.

Izzie looked at the tequila and then at her stomach with a sigh.

"No shit Sherlock." She spat out tiredly.

And that was it. The dam broke. They started laughing. Laughing so hard they were crying. No one was sure why it was funny, or why it was something to laugh about, but it just – was. It was who they were. And then, in one moment Meredith was pulled into a warm embrace.

Her family held her as they cried together. They cried for Meredith's dad and for Meredith. For the McKiddies up-stairs that didn't want a dad anymore.

In the still of the night with Meredith's children safe in dreamland the small family, the group that had endured the worst of the worst, clung together.

For one night they held each other in a way that they had been doing for years with the while family. But, once again it was them. The five interns who had gone through hell and back again. Together for one moment in time, holding onto each other for dear life.

* * *

There's a little bit of Richard... not really, more family stuff, but because of Richard.

Was it okay? Review!


	12. Chapter 12

This is my last chapter before I go on vacation, so you're going to have to sit tight for about a week.

* * *

**Chapter 12: Pasketti Dinner**

Addison sat with Mark, watching as he easily dialed a familiar phone number. It was about noon the next day. They had slept late. His face lit up into a grin when the other person answered. "Hey Mer."

"Nope I'm alive." A pause.

"She wants to meet them."

"No murder."

"Yeah, I know its Sunday."

"Bowling? I haven't done that in a few years with you guys. You sure it's a good idea?"

"Ohh… public place that makes sense."

"Tonight? Dinner first?"

"Yeah, okay that's good."

"Nope." Mark met Addison's eyes. "Pasketti is fine."

"Yeah, I know they're not five anymore. Old times sake." He laughed into the phone.

"Mm-hhmm. You too. Bye."

Mark glanced at Addison confused face and shrugged. "We're going over there at seven to have dinner. Pasketti as they use to call it, or spaghetti, what it really is. After that, we will be joining the small family, meaning just the four of them for a game of bowling."

"Bowling?" Addison inquired.

"Yes, bowling. They are very good though, and we will get our asses kicked."

"You say it like it's a fact."

"Because it is."

"Mark?"

"Umm-hmmm."

"What do we tell Derek? Do we even tell him anything?"

"No. We don't tell him. All of them, including Mer will be skittish around you. Brining Derek with would be like social suicide."

"This is high school all over again."

Mark laugh. "It's worse then high school. It's like meeting Derek's family the first time."

"That bad?" Addison winced as she remembered his four sisters acting like bitches and the craziness his house had held for the first few months after they had met.

"Yep, only if they don't like you it just gets worse. I mean one of Dani's boyfriends-" Mark stopped at her confused face. "OB/GYN extraordinaire, two kids, Jimmy and Sami, 13 years old, married for about a year now, got divorced when the twins were seven. Anyway, one of Dani's boyfriends came with for bowling night, when it was everyone, which by the way, you just missed by a week. So, Dani's boyfriend was an accountant. Man, they just plowed into him. He never came back."

Addison looked at him, eyes concerned. "Don't worry, they didn't like him because he was an accountant, not because – well, he was boring. And he had small feet." Mark wrinkled his nose.

"I doubt they looked at his shoe size Mark."

"That's okay, I did. He was a little twerp. But, don't worry, they'll love you."

"I'll hold you to that Mark."

* * *

Addison Forbes Montgomery-Sloane had never been afraid of anything in her in life. Nothing. But, standing in front of Meredith Grey's house, she was afraid.

There were three children in there. Her ex-husbands' three children yes, but three children that loved and adored Mark like an Uncle, and Addison wanted them to like her too.

"Ready?" Marks voice was gentle and quiet as he guided Addison up the steps and to the front door. Derek was off God knows where, and they were here, meeting his children.

"No."

"Addie – don't worry. We already had this conversation, they'll love you." Before Addison could say anything else Mark rang the doorbell.

Meredith Grey answered the door. She was still the petite blonde that Addison had met the first time, but she seemed grown up. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and her jeans were worn and ripped. Mark greeted her with a quick hug and a teasing smile.

"Hey Mer."

"Hey yourself, come on in." Mark and Addison stepped into the house, and Addison looked around. The house seemed to be the same as it had been fourteen years ago. All that had change was the people in it and the décor.

"Hello Addison good to see you again." Addison smiled at Meredith.

"It's good to see you too." Before they could continue their conversation, a young girl raced out of the kitchen and jumped into Mark's arms.

"Hey kiddo." Mark whispered, running his hands through her hair.

"Hi Uncle Mark." The girls' voice was muffled by his neck. "Mom said that you and Dr. Montgomery-Sloane were coming bowling with us tonight. How long are you staying here? Please say that it's more then just tonight and tomorrow."

"Hopefully we're not leaving for a little while." He put her down and took a step back so that Katie could see Addison, and Addison could see Katie. "Addie, I'd like you to meet Katherine Grace Grey, Katie, Addison Forbes Montgomery-Sloane."

Katie stared at Addison for a moment, and then at Mark before she smiled at them, giving Shep a gently pat as he lumbered into the foyer.

"I'm not calling you Addison Forbes Montgomery-Sloane." She informed her. "It's too much of a mouthful. And I would get in trouble if I called you McWife or Satan."

Addison laughed. "Addison is fine or Addie if you want."

Katie nodded calmly. "We'll stick with Addison for right now; by the way, it's Katie. Come on in." As they stepped into the house Katie turned towards the stairs. "Jake! Zach! Get down here!"

Addison jumped about a foot in the air and Mark laughed. The sound of footsteps echoed through the house as Zach and Jake pounded down the stairs.

They stopped next to Katie and Meredith merely raised an eyebrow at her daughter. "Could we please reserve the yelling for times of emergencies?"

"Nope. It would ruin my fun." Katie informed her cheerfully.

"Can't have that." Jake responded dryly. "Hi Uncle Mark." He cocked his head and raised an eyebrow to almost completely mimic Meredith when Katie yelled.

"Addison, these are my brothers. This is Zach, and this is Jake." She gestured to the two boys who both smiled at her hesitantly.

"Nice to meet you." If Addison was taken aback by the fact that all three of them shared quiet a few of Derek's features, she didn't show it.

"Can we eat Mom? I'm hungry." Meredith laughed. "Yeah Zach, let's go." Addison and Mark followed Meredith who followed her children into the dining room.

Meredith sat at the head, Katie on her right, Zach on her left and Jake next to Zach. Mark sat next to Katie and Addison sat at the other head of the table.

Dinner was an interesting affair with laughter and small talk. By the end of dinner Addison was told that after bowling she would be considered 'one of the family.'

They were cleaning up and Katie watched Addison with a critical eye for a minute and then sighed. "You're not as scary as I thought you would be."

"Thanks – I think." Addison was startled and unsure how to reply.

"I mean" Katie explained with a shrug "you were married to McDreamy or whatever I'm supposed to call him. I thought you would be threatening like him." She frowned. "He was threatening yesterday." Addison had been filled in on the events of yesterday by Mark. Katie shrugged.

"I like you. Is it okay if I call you Addie?"

Addison was startled by the girls' quick liking, but she was happy about it too. "Sure." Katie walked up the stairs to get her bowling stuff and Addison swung around to look at Mark in surprise.

"Something Meredith told me the first time that I met them. Either they like you or they don't. She likes you."

Addison laughed. "And to think I was scared."

"You'll be okay." Zach smiled at her from the top of the stairs. "At least, until you come to family bowling night."

"Yeah." Jake nodded appearing next to his brother. "That is a disaster waiting to happen. It's always a little scary."

"A little?" Meredith questioned.

"Okay, so a lot scary." Katie sighed as she joined her brothers.

"Loser gets the other's two chores for a week?"

"You're on Katie." All three shook on it and Addison watched them in surprise. She didn't think that the night could get any more interesting.

* * *

And Addie is now family. So, that was it. See you next week. Until then, review! I'm almost at 100. 


	13. Chapter 13

So, here it is. Lucky number 13. I don't know if it's moving too fast. Vacation was fun. Here it is:

* * *

**Chapter 13: Champions and Adult Talk**

Addison watched the triplets set up the bowling game, arguing and laughing the whole time. They were playing adults vs. children, and the kids were promising to win.

Addison hadn't played in years and knew that she wouldn't do well. She watched them as Katie poked Zach in the ribs and Jake nodded in agreement with Katie. The other boy threw his hands up in frustration, but then in a lightening fast motion he grabbed his sister and tickled her until she gasped out 'mercy'.

"They're close. Really, really close. Finish each other's sentences type close." Meredith was standing next to her watching her children. Mark had gone off to pay, after an amusing, yet childish, argument between Meredith and Mark.

"How did you do it?" Meredith looked confused by the question. "How did you raise three kids by yourself as an intern?"

"There were some days when I didn't think that I could do it." Meredith admitted softly.

"When they were first born, Katie had to stay longer then the boys, because she was so tiny. I was in the hospital too, and they wanted to keep and eye on them because they were triplets, you know how it is. So, we all just stayed there until I could leave with all three of them."

"When I got home, I had a lot of help. If I was having a sleepless night, so was half the house with the kids. It was like they would scream in a cannon. Zach would start, and the moment I would pick him up and start to leave the room, Jake would join in. I would get both of them out of the room, and down the stairs and then Katie would start screaming too. It was hard."

George and Callie lived with us for a few years, as well as Izzie and Alex. Cristina and Burke were there constantly. Bailey and Danielle were two that I don't think that I could live without. And Adele and Rich-"her voice caught slightly and Addison patted her on the back comfortingly. She quickly composed herself.

"He was the kids grandpa. He was my dad."

Addison nodded. "I know. Katie gave one hell of a speech."

"That's my girl." Meredith smiled at the triplets. Watching Katie try and get her brothers to dance with her. Mark walked past her and she grabbed him. He laughed and the two began to dance. It was obvious that Katie dancing was a common occurrence and Mark laughed and began to dance.

The bowling alley blasted some Nickelback song that Addison had never heard, but all the others seemed to know.

"You get used to it."

Meredith had to halfway shout to be heard, but when she did speak Addie looked at her in confusion.

"The music." She explained. "Trust me; if you're here long enough you start singing."

"Ah." She watched Mark swing Katie into his arms as they sang out the next words together while Jake and Zach shook their heads.

"We should start bowling before the boys go crazy."

Addison could tell that the boys were getting irritated and laughed. "Okay."

* * *

Addison watched in surprise as in the second frame Jake got the first strike if the night.

Both Meredith and Mark groaned as he did. Katie and Zach ran over to him and the three grabbed hands and twirled three times before putting their hands together and laughing. Then they turned to the adults and stuck their tongues out at them.

"Take that!"

"This is going to be a long night." Mark sighed as he looked at the triples who were laughing.

* * *

"_We are the champions - my friends  
And we'll keep on fighting - till the end -  
We are the champions -  
We are the champions  
No time for losers  
'Cause we are the champions - of the world –"_

Zach, Jake and Katie followed the adults out of the bowling alley singing at the top of their lungs.

"Do they ever stop?" Addison asked as she listened to them.

"Nope." Mark slung an arm around her shoulder. "Don't worry. They known that if they continue to sing in the car we'll start singing back at them."

"Singing back?"

"Yeah. They don't particularly care for Elvis, so we pick an Elvis song and sing it just as loud as we can. They give up immediately. It's great."

"Thanks Uncle Mark." Jake yelled up to them.

"It's love kid."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." They climbed into the car laughing and teasing, including Addison.

Mark was right, she realized. They were a family. They may have been slightly messed up and not actually related by blood, but they were family and a close knit group at that.

* * *

Meredith pulled up to the house and the kids jumped out, racing to the house and laughing. Katie had lost at bowling, but she could care less. She had informed the saucily that she would win next time.

The adults followed and Meredith started up the coffee maker.

"So…" she started and then sighed.

"Mark stop."

"Stop what?"

"The stupid face that you're making that says you want to talk about Derek and you know I don't want to hear it, so you're going to look sad until I give in."

"He loves you Mer."

"He also threatened to take my children away from me after saying that I was a whore and they weren't even his."

Mark paused and frowned. "I can't tell you why he said that Mer, but give the man a chance."

"I can't." She paused and looked Mark in the eye. "I was in Katie's room this morning. She took down the picture."

At first confusion was on Mark's face, but when he realized what she means he dropped his head into his hands.

"Picture?" Addie repeated, confused.

"Katie has three pictures hanging above her bed." Meredith explained. "The first is of the four of us at Disney World. The last one is of the three of them one day at the hospital when they were eleven. She actually just added one of the entire family at Richard's retirement party. The picture in the middle though was one of me and Derek. She's had it up there for years now. After he came over and yelled at me she took it down."

Mark nodded and sighed. "When I first got here, all the kids wanted to know about was Derek. The picture always was what the kids had, if she took it down it means that they want nothing to do with him. When they were ten, Mer told them the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth."

"So help her God." Katie was standing behind them, her hands on her hips. "We don't want him, and he better not try to take us away. You called and he didn't care."

"You called?" Addie was even more confused then she had been earlier.

"When I found out I was pregnant, I called him to tell him. I left about a dozen messages asking him to call me back, on his cell phone too. He never called."

Addison nodded and then froze, coming to a realization.

"Nancy."

"Nancy?" The Grey's repeated confused. Zach and Jake had come down seconds after Katie.

"She stayed with Derek for a little while after the divorce. She thought that we would get back together and tried to set it up."

The same conclusion that Addison had reached hit the others and they stood there in shocked silence.

* * *

He had told her not to come. Last night he had been so out of his mind that he hadn't been thinking when he called her.

Word had spread through the family and now she was coming. He knew it was stupid, and wished that he could take it back.

Derek watched as she stepped off of the plane and greeted him briskly. _This can only end badly._

* * *

_So, I'm moving it around a little. Meredith knows who Nancy is. Does anyone know the names of his other sisters? Chapter 14 may be a little slow coming., I haven't started it yet. _


	14. Chapter 14

So here it is...

* * *

**Chapter 14: Nancy-Pants and A Confrontation**

"This is a bad idea."

"No, it's not."

"Yes it is."

"It is not a bad idea. You want your children. One of the best ways to get them is to convince her that she should give them to us. She's a single mother; I think that she deserves a break. After they spend time with us, we suggest that they move in with you, and it's a done deal."

"They don't like me Nanc."

"Soon enough they'll love you. I can't believe that you didn't know that you had kids."

"Meredith didn't tell me."

"She should have." Nancy was angry. Her baby brother was destructing again right before her eyes.

"Nancy, we shouldn't be doing this."

"Nonsense. Of course we should. They're your children too." The rest of the ride was silence, Derek having given up on changing Nancy's mind.

* * *

"This is their house?"

"Yeah, this is it."

"I'll knock; you stand there and don't say anything stupid."

Nancy knocked and her jaw dropped when Mark opened the door.

"Mark?"

"Nancy? What are you doing here?" She stepped forward as if to hug him, but Mark took a step back warily.

"We're here to get the triplets of course." Nancy spoke as if he was an idiot, and that 'getting the triplets' had been a plan all along.

"No. No way in hell." At those words Jake appeared behind Mark.

"What the hell are you talking about anyway? What makes you think that you can just appear and take us?" Zach added. All three of the children had appeared at the sound of knocking.

"Somebody get here away from me, like now. Uncle Mark help or something, be heroic." Katie was standing there with a look of horror on her face.

Katie looked at her brothers and silently counted to three in what had been dubbed 'the McKiddie Language'.

"MOM!" Nancy and Derek jumped about two feet in the air, and Shep began barking frantically, but Meredith and Addison appeared within seconds.

"Guys? What's wrong?" Then Meredith saw who was at the door and her mouth tightened into a thin line.

"Mark, Addie can you take the kids to Dani's?"

"No." Jake clenched his fists and glared at the two adults that were supposed to be related to him.

"We're staying" Zach added.

Katie eyed the woman by Derek. "I'm going to guess that you would be Nancy?"

"And how would you know that sweetheart?" Nancy's voice was simpering.

"Because I'm not an idiot. And, nobody calls me sweetheart anymore except for people that I allow. So, if you would kindly refrain from that and call me Katherine."

Mark and Meredith winced. Asking to be called Katherine meant that there was no chance Katie would ever get along with Nancy.

"I'm your Aunt Nancy." Katie narrowed her eyes.

"I don't have an Aunt Nancy. I have seven aunts. Their names are Izzie, Callie, Cristina, Danielle, Bailey, Charlotte and Addison. You're not one of them."

"Katie." Meredith put her hand on the girls shoulder. "Go upstairs with your brothers; we're going to talk for a little, okay?"

"We want to be here."

"I know you do, but, please, go upstairs." Katie looked her mother in the eyes, an intense staring contest before she finally sighed and nodded.

"Fine." She turned to Mark. "We want a play-by-play."

He saluted her with a smile. "Yes Katie, Ma'am." The girl giggled and the three disappeared upstairs.

Mark opened the door a little wider. "You might as well come in."

Meredith looked at the father of his children and his sister with distaste. "I would say it's nice to see you, but that would be a lie."

"What? You didn't have enough fun sleeping with my brother and ruining his marriage, now you're going to keep the kids you didn't tell him about away from him too?"

Addison made a sound of protest when Nancy commented on their Shepard's ruined marriage.

"Well, actually, that's partially your fault Nancy." Mark pointed out. If they were going to argue, they were going to fight with the truth.

Nancy looked startled for a minute and then she laughed. "Don't be ridiculous Mark, how could it be my fault?"

"Those months you spent with Derek, after we got divorced?" Addison interrupted. "All of the messages Meredith left, telling him to call her back?"

"What?" Derek looked between them, confused.

"I called you Derek. So many times. I would leave messages asking you to call me back, that it was important."

"I never got those messages." He looked bewildered, and Meredith looked down so she didn't have to see the pain and confusion in his eyes.

"Yeah, because Nancy deleted them."

"Of course I did." Nancy spit out suddenly. "You didn't need some slutty blonde intern making you come back here and ruining your life. Of course I deleted the messages. What sister wouldn't?"

"The sister who wanted her brother to be happy." Addison replied. Mark looked at Nancy.

"You wanted what was best for your brother. When Derek would've called her back, Meredith would've told him that she was pregnant. Nothing more, nothing less."

"I didn't expect him to come back and marry me." Meredith turned to Nancy sadly. "I didn't even know if I expected him to come back. But, now we'll never know."

Derek turned to his sister in anger. "How could you?" His eyes were blazing angrily.

"It was the right thing to do." Nancy yelled back at him. "If you go back to her, you'll regret it." And with that she stormed out of the house, slamming the door in anger as Meredith, Derek, Addison and Mark watched her go.

* * *

It didn't end the way I thought it would, but, that's what I get for listening to my muse. Whatever. Review!  



	15. Chapter 15

Next chapter, kinda short, the next one will be better if not longer.

* * *

**Chapter 15: Ten Things**

As soon as the door slammed, Jake, Zach, and Katie were down the stairs, and in the kitchen.

Meredith knew without a doubt that they had been listening at the stairs. No one could ever say that she didn't know her children.

Mark and Addison made eye contact, and then Mark looked at Meredith. She nodded. It was time for some 'family something' and they didn't need to be there for it.

"You might want to sit down."

Derek looked at her startled. "What?"

Meredith gestured to her children – their children –who were in intense conversation that Derek couldn't understand.

"They may have let you off the hook for not knowing about the phone calls, but what you did with the threatening and the yelling – you have _a lot_ to make up for."

"I – I didn't know Mer."

"I know Derek."

"I didn't know that you didn't know, so we're even."

"So I'm forgiven?"

"For not knowing. Mostly. But, that doesn't mean you can appear, yell, threaten, and disappear, only to reappear with you sister."

Katie was writing on a sheet of paper quickly while Jake and Zach nodded excitedly. Derek took a moment to study his children.

"Jake, he looks just like me doesn't he?" Jake poked Zach and the two began to argue with Katie. His blue eyes were dancing and his McDreamy hair was in disarray.

"Yeah. But he acts just like me." Meredith sat on the kitchen counter. "Grilled cheese for breakfast, and all."

"We – we created these kids Mer. They're ours."

"Yeah, but they're more mine because I had to go through labor. It sucked. Trust me." Derek laughed sadly.

"Tell me about it?"

"My contractions started at noon on the dot. I was at home. Danielle put me on bed rest for the last month because I was so big. They came at eight months. Anyway, everyone was working. I drove to the hospital because Richard made me promise that the moment I started contractions I would go to the hospital so that they could keep an eye on me. Plus, it was triplets. I went to the hospital where we proceeded to wait seventeen and a half hours." Meredith smiled.

"Alex told me that I'd spent too much time with Cristina, and that they got her stubbornness. George sat behind me and held my hand. Zachary Richard Grey was born at 5:32 in the morning of June 17th. 6 pounds 4 ounces. Jacob Elijah Grey followed at 5:40 at 6 pounds 2 ounces and then Katherine Grace Grey at 5:52 at 5 pounds 11 ounces."

She didn't mention what had happened afterwards, and Derek accepted what she said at face value. They went back to watching their children. "Zach looks just like you."

"Except for his hair. And they all have your dimples when they smile."

"Katie has my eyes, but other then that she could be your twin."

"Yeah. She could. Jake acts just like me, Zach has his moments where he's like you, but there is a lot of Mark and Alex in him. Katie is a mini-Cristina with a bit of everyone thrown in. She's the one with the most stubbornness. Alex told me she has my tiny ineffectual fists."

Derek laughed. "I can tell. I could also see her going after someone with said fists." He paused for a moment. "Are we ever going to talk about what happened?"

"Not right now Derek. First, the triplets need to give you the ground rules they are making at the moment. Those usually change at some point. Then my family needs to tear into you, and you need to let them. Usually there isn't any blood drawn, but that's just usually. And then, we can talk. Until then, I'm just a girl, and you just happen to be the guy who got me pregnant with those three beautiful children over there who are currently running your life."

"Done!" Katie walked over and stood in front of Derek. She held a list in her hands, and her eyes were dancing. Jake stood on one side, Zach on the other.

"These are our rules, you can choose to abide by them and get to know us, or you can not and we will never ever speak to you again. Got it?"

"Got it." Meredith noticed how Derek was in the chair and surrounded. It looked like an interrogation. The only thing that was missing was good cop/bad cop. She wondered if she should go get a flashlight to give to one of the boys just for kicks.

"Number one" Jake read "you will apologize to us for threatening to take us away."

"Two, you will apologize to our mother for calling her a whore and insinuating that she slept with Uncle Mark." Zach continued.

"Three, you will not take us away." Katie added. They switched off Katie, Jake and then Zach reading.

"Four you will meet the family and take whatever they have to say to you."

"Five, you will take us to the ferryboats when we want to go."

"Six, you will answer any questions we have without questioning why we have them."

"Seven, you will apologize to Uncle Mark for hitting him."

"Eight, you will take us to dinner tonight at a place of our choice."

"Nine, you will tell Nancy to stay away from us until we say that it is okay."

"And ten, you will not say one bad word about Mom, Mark, or anyone else that is part of our family no matter how much you dislike them until we say that you can."

"Will you abide by these rules?"

Derek nodded. "Yes."

"Good." Katie pointed to a line on the paper and handed him a pen. "Print your name here, Sign here, and date it." Then she handed the paper to her mother.

"You're our witness. Print your name here, sign here, and date it here." Meredith did that, and Jake took it from her and put it in an envelope. He handed it to Zach who went and hung it on the fridge.

Katie nodded at him. "Pick us up at six, wear something casual. You're taking us to dinner." And with that Derek was escorted out the door and into the rainy day.

* * *

"I saw them for just a second Kath." Nancy sighed as she shifted in her hotel room. 

"We need full force."

"Yes, rallying the troops."

"Tomorrow?"

"I'll pick everyone up at the airport. Just call me and give me a time."

"Okay, love you too, bye."

* * *

Read my oneshot Does He Love... Nobody's reviewed so feel free to be the one to do that! Dun Dun Dun... Review!  



	16. Chapter 16

**  
**

* * *

**Chapter 16: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?**

Derek pulled up to the Grey house at promptly six and rang the doorbell. Jake opened it and smiled at him. "Come on in."

Meredith and Katie were in the kitchen laughing, he could hear them. Zach was sitting at the table, holding some cards. Poker chips were sitting in front of him.

"Where are we eating?" Derek asked casually.

"Here. Mom's cooking. Chicken fingers and Mac-n-cheese. Another old favorite. You want to play the next round with us?"

"Sure." Derek watched as Jake won and they dealt Derek in. Katie and Meredith appeared and Meredith smiled at him.

"Hi Derek."

"Hi Meredith, Katie." The girl nodded at him and then turned to her two brothers.

"Buffet style." She informed them. Derek followed them into the kitchen and served himself food. Dinner was a quiet affair, the triplets asking him a few questions about what he had been doing over the past few years.

It was casual, yet at the same time tense. Katie kept stealing glances at her brothers, and finally Meredith rolled her eyes.

"Katie spit it out before we start getting grey hairs."

"Like you don't have any already?" She cheekily replied. Meredith threw a piece of chicken at her daughter and Katie rolled her eyes before turning to Derek.

"Why'd you leave?"

"Addison and I were trying again. Mark was here, and Meredith was here. We decided that it would be best if we went back to the place we started." He shrugged. "Obviously it didn't work. I didn't have the guts to come back here and see if Meredith had moved on. I was afraid that she had, so I stayed in New York."

"We want to go to New York for summer break." Zach informed him.

Jake nodded. "RENT on Broadway."

"Times Square." Zach added.

"Statue of Liberty" was Katie's reply.

"Yankees game."

"Hmm…"

Derek watched them in astonishment. He had never met people so in tune with each other that they finished thoughts like the triplets did. He was about to ask them when their Spring Break was, and consider bringing them back to New York with him while he packed his stuff. (There was no way that he wasn't moving to Seattle) when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it" Meredith volunteered. She slid out of her seat and opened the front door. The four of them heard her groan and then laugh.

"Guys, we need more plates." Katie, Zach and Jake looked at each other, shrugged, and then went to see who was at the door, Derek trailing behind.

The sight was one to behold and while the triplets laughed, Derek felt his jaw drop. Standing in front of him was the family of the triplets and Meredith.

Cristina was standing in the front with Preston and a horde of kids surrounding her. It was only actually three, but Derek had never expected to see her with kids at all. Bailey was there with her husband and son, as well as a pregnant looking Izzie, Alex holding a boy who looked to be three or four, and George and Callie. Adele was there as well as a woman, two children, and a man that he had never seen before.

"We don't have enough food for all of you." Jake informed them easily. George and the man that he had never seen before, as well as Tucker lifted up bags of take-out.

"C'mon in then" Zach laughed. The family shuffled in, greeting each other like it was an everyday occurrence to show up at someone's house unannounced. _Then again_ Derek realized _it might be. They could do this everyday for all I know._

"We better go in the den."

Meredith patted Derek's shoulder sympathetically. "Remember the rules. You have to take what the family throws at you." Derek groaned.

"They can't kill me right?" He paused and considered it. "Maybe it would be better if they just killed me. Cristina is scary when she's angry."

There was a knock at the door, and Meredith rolled her eyes and mumbled something about family before opening the door irritated.

"Oh shit -" She muttered. Derek turned and was met by the eyes of his sisters.

"This day just got a whole lot longer, didn't it?" Meredith questioned.

Derek reached for her hand reassuringly. "Probably."

* * *

So, it's short. Like really really short. Sorry. I'm having a bit of a block, but I hope the next chapter will be up soon.

Reviews may inspire : )


	17. Chapter 17

**This chapter is dedicated to ****MissRe for the chapter name and desecretperson for asking me two write a chapter before Saturday. And it's pretty long too!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 17: The Shepard Sisters vs. Clan Seattle Grace**

"You might as well come in." Meredith held the door open and allowed Derek's sisters to step into the house.

"Mer-" She grinned at Derek.

"Might as well send them into the lions den with you."

"That's reassuring."

"Well, I figured that if we tell them what Nancy did, they'll be nicer. If I know Katie, she's filling them in right now."

"Nancy?" One of Derek's sisters' questioned. "What did Nanc do?"

"Meredith!" Cristina's voice was heard and then seconds later she appeared. One glance at the foyer area had her raising an eyebrow.

"McFamily" was all Meredith said.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Alex stuck his head out of the den and his eyes widened as he heard the last part of the conversation. Then, he smiled.

"Let the games begin."

* * *

The sisters walked into the room, followed by Derek, Meredith and Cristina. Cristina clapped her hands and everyone immediately stopped talking. 

"Change of plans people."

"How come they all stop talking for you, and not for me?" Hayden asked from his position on Sami's lap.

Cristina grinned at him. "Because I'm the boss. That's why they all listen to Auntie Mer too." Hayden stuck out his lip at her and Meredith bent over and pulled on it playfully.

"Don't be a spoilsport Hay-Day."

"Okay Auntie Mer." The boy smiled adoringly up at her.

"Why don't the kids go play?" Preston suggested, seeing the fire in his wife's eyes. There would be a showdown, that was for sure.

The younger children got up, but six oldest stayed rooted to their spots.

The triplets looked at Meredith pleadingly. "This involves us mom."

"You know the rule." Meredith replied.

They nodded and settled back on the ground. When they were six, they had begged to stay in the room for talk about surgeries. Meredith had relented, but had made a simple rule that was always followed. If she told them to leave, they left.

Sami, Jimmy and Will looked at their respective parents, who sighed and gave consenting nods.

Katie jumped up and disappeared, only to return a moment later with a pad of paper and a pen from the kitchen. Her brothers and friends looked at her, but knew that she would explain in a second.

Katie drew a line down the middle of the paper and wrote clearly and evenly 'The Shepard Sisters' on one side and 'Clan Seattle Grace' on the other. The six looked at each other and laughed.

"Let the games begin." Jake sang out in an announcer's voice.

"Jake."

"C'mon mom, it's just too easy. Can I do introductions?" Meredith laughed and shrugged her shoulders. Their family was unconventional, but hey, it worked.

"First up we have Cristina Yang-Burke. She is Meredith a.k.a my mother's person she will kick ass." Cristina snorted.

"Thanks Jake."

"No problem."

Zach raised and eyebrow at his brother and when he nodded, took the next introduction. "Next up Isobel Stevens-Karev. She is the best baker ever and may not kick your ass at the moment, but wait until she has the baby."

"Them's is fighting words" Izzie called out laughingly. Katie took the next introduction with a grin.

"We have 'Don't Call Me Miranda' Bailey or The Nazi to her interns here too. She can demolish you and has made interns cry with a single glance."

Will laughed, and she shot him her 'Nazi' look which stopped them all in their tracks. "Danielle Woods is our fourth person. She has two kids and a new husband and isn't afraid to use her death glare." Danielle just shook her head.

"We also have Callie O'Malley. Make a comment on her rhyming names and she might break a bone, because she knows how." Sami's introduction was ended with an innocent grin.

"Adele Webber is last but not least. She's the oldest, and can deal with all of us. Mama Webber can kick ass." Jimmy grinned cheekily.

"Next, Alex Karev. Wrestler in high school and all around sports guy. Be afraid, very afraid if he's not on your team." Jake gestured to his uncle.

Zach picked up the introduction, eyes dancing. "Preston Burke, married to Cristina Yang-Burke. If he can deal with her, he can deal with anyone." Cristina half-heartedly waved a menacing hand at her nephew.

"George O'Malley, Uncle Extraordinaire, and can win a mean slap fight." She turned to grin at two of her uncles. "Just ask Alex."

"Eric Woods is new to the group, but he's had experience dealing with us, which makes him prepped for war." Will nodded to his newest Uncle.

"Tucker Bailey, Married to the Nazi, can deal with anything, even a bunch of crazy surgeons." Sami finished.

There was a pause, as they all realized that Richard wasn't there. The Katie shook her head and turned to the four women. Meredith and Derek weren't going to be part of the fight the six had decided.

"Who's going to introduce you?"

"I'm Nancy. These are my sisters Kathleen, Anne and Emily."

"That was lame." Sami commented.

"Really lame." Will nodded. "I think we get a point for our intro."

"It was way cooler." Katie added a point under 'Clan Seattle Grace'.

"So how exactly is this going to work out?" Zach asked. "Is it like a free for all hurling words kind of thing?" The other five people sitting with him paused to consider that.

"I don't know."

Nancy spun on Meredith. "I know that she kept our niece and nephews away from their father for years."

"Actually," Cristina spat back "she didn't keep them away, you did. And I thank God that my niece and nephew didn't grow up with you as an aunt."

"I'm sorry she had to put up with you. That attitude just for show, or are you always a bitch?"

"Could someone please explain what is going on here?" Kathleen asked in confusion.

Bailey spoke up this time. "You're _sister_ stayed with Derek here apparently after he broke up with Addison. Meredith called to tell him about his kids, and she deleted all the messages." She turned her Nazi stare onto Nancy, who flinched visibly. "_That's_ why the triplets grew up without Derek. Because your sister thought she knew what was best for him, and she made those decisions. Meredith didn't keep Derek's children away from him, Nancy did it for him."

The sisters spun to look at Nancy.

"You didn't tell us that Nanc." She sniffed.

"She kept them from him." She turned the sickening sweet smile once again at the triplets. "They need to come and stay with us for a little while I think. Children should know both of their parents."

"Nancy, we can't do that." It was Anne talking now. She was frowning, looking at the triplets. "I don't think that they want to come with us."

"Damn straight." Katie sang out. "We don't. So kindly leave."

"You're just going to take their word?"

"It's obvious that they're not going to say that they want to leave in front of their mother."

"You don't know my children Nancy." Meredith's voice was dangerously low. "If they had a problem, I would hear about it."

Nancy took a step forward so that they were nose to nose. Cristina, Callie and Bailey stood ready to back Meredith up. Meredith held them back with a simple hand gesture. She was running on adrenaline.

"You've brainwashed them into believing that they didn't need a father. Every child needs a father. And look at what you did to my brothers' marriage. You destroyed his life."

Nancy's hand shot out, but Meredith took a step back. Nancy took another step, and Meredith wasn't fast enough to avoid the slap. It wasn't the slap that caused the collective gasp, it was the way that Meredith tripped over the end table and fell, her head making a loud thump as it hit the ground.

* * *

Oh... what will happen next? You know you want to review!

* * *


	18. Chapter 18

**Simon and Garfunkel. Great guys. They wrote the first part. Here it is, sorry it took a few days. I wrote half and then got a brain freeze. **

* * *

**Chapter 18: The Sound of Silence**

_Hello Darkness my old friend,  
I've come to talk with you again,  
Because a vision softly creeping,  
Left its seeds while I was sleeping,  
And the vision that was planted in my brain,  
Still remains  
Within the sound of silence _

Meredith felt herself drifting. There were hushed voices and then an all too familiar voice.

"Mer, wake up."

"Dad?"

"Aren't you -?" She was unable to say the word. The man she considered her father reached over and brushed a piece of hair from her face.

"Dead? Yes. But you're dreaming, so that's okay. You took quite a fall there."

"I was shoved." She corrected.

"Yeah, I saw. I thought I taught you how to take a punch." It was true. When he had seen Alex and Mark teaching Katie and Sami how to fight back if anyone were ever to get to close to them, Richard had taught Meredith too. One of the first lessons was how to take a slap or punch.

"I was caught by surprise."

"Yeah. But, that's not what we're here to talk about." Meredith groaned.

"Derek's back, that's what you want to talk about isn't it?"

"Yeah. Tell me about him."

"He's McDreamy, and Nancy's McKeeper of Secrets. What do you want to know?"

"You love him."

"That wasn't a question."

"No, it was a fact. You love him."

"I can't go jumping into a relationship with him."

"Do you love him?" She didn't answer. "Mer…"

"Yes."

"Just yes?"

"I don't know if I can go through what I went through again dad."

"That's why I'm here."

"What are you going to do?"

"He won't hurt you again Mer."

"How do you know Dad?"

"Because I'm just that smart." Meredith swung her feet onto the edge of the bed and stood up so that they were eye to eye.

"You can't predict how Derek will act. He's not you or Mark, Alex, George, Preston, Eric or Tucker. He could leave tomorrow."

"But he won't." Richard was calm throughout her mini-rant.

"How do you know?"

"Because he loves you too." Meredith just stared at him. "Mer, he loved you from the moment he met you. It didn't change when he left. I could tell the moment that I saw him that he loved you."

"So?" Her chin is set in defiance.

"Don't say it." He warns her.

"Say what?"

"That I loved Ellis, and that doesn't change what I did."

"Isn't it the same? And don't say that the fact I have three children changes anything. He can be in their lives as much as he wants without having a romantic relationship with me."

"He can. But, what happened between Ellis and I was different. Addison and he got divorced."

"So now I'm second best?"

"You'll never be second best Mer. Divorce is hard on everyone. Especially with us. Our relationship was a scandal waiting to happen."

"You were still with Adele when you -" she wouldn't say died "left" she finished lamely.

"I love Adele, no matter what. And, as much as I hate to say this, Ellis started out as lust, turned into love, and then eventually faded into ideas of what may have been, and I wish."

Meredith nodded. "I have to go back, don't I?"

"Yes." Richard nodded. "You accept that Derek loves you and won't leave you though?"

"Like I have a choice." But, Meredith nodded and held her arms open for a hug from her dad.

"I love you Dad."

"Love you too Mer."

* * *

"She'll be okay right?" Katie was pacing back and forth as Mark tried to get her to sit down. He had been called soon after Meredith was shoved. Cristina, Callie and Bailey had gone to take care of a certain someone, (boys were banned from this particular trip) and Derek had insisted that he examine Meredith.

George, Eric, Tucker, Adele and Preston had been left at the house with the younger children. Danielle, Izzie, and Alex had been elected to go with to the hospital.

Nobody else could really get Katie to calm down as fast as Meredith, Cristina and Mark or her brothers. She had been ignoring him and Jake and Zach's pleas to sit down and chill. Addison was sitting next to him talking to Izzie quietly.

"Katherine Grace Grey sit your God Damn ass in that chair before I sit it in there for you." Mark finally snapped at her.

Katie froze and then moved and sat down. Mark moved to kneel in front of her.

"You're Mom is a fighter Kat, and your dad is the best neurosurgeon if there are any problems. She'll be fine." Mark pulled out a twenty and handed it to her. "Take the five stooges and go get something to eat. You guys look like crap."

Katie nodded and the said five stooges stood to follow her down to the cafeteria. Mark sat down in the chair he had vacated for seconds and sighed.

"That girl drives me crazy some days."

"But you love it." Alex replied. "We all go crazy some days with any of them, but hey, it's family."

"God bless 'em." Danielle sighed.

"I thought it was God Bless The Freaks." Izzie snorted.

"I don't think our family is a bunch of freaks." Alex raised an eyebrow at her.

"I wasn't done." She told him. "We're just really, really, really screwed up sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Mark asked. "Should I run through the family history?"

"I don't need to hear it, I lived it." Mark didn't have an answer for that so he just settled for smirking at her.

* * *

Meredith awoke to bright lights and an all too familiar face.

"Derek?"

"Hey Mer." He led her through some quick doctory things, deemed that she had a small concussion and sat down next to her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I think so." He wrapped an arm around her.

"You really scared me."

Meredith thought of telling him that everyone was probably worried and scared, but settled for resting her head on his shoulder.

"Sorry."

"It's not your fault." He stood and offered her a hand. "C'mon. I'm sure that you don't need to stay here tonight."

"Nope. A massive crash party will be happening probably. Let's go see the people."

"A massive crash party?" The only response he got was a laugh.

* * *

That's it. How would anyone feel about a Grey's/House crossover after I finish this fic? Any takers? Next up, massive crash party... review!  



	19. Chapter 19

**So it's a short one, and this may be it for a little while because tomorrow I may be going to the racetrack, and then I have a sleepover and the I have NICKELBACK!! (Cheers and claps. Yes Nickelback concert). **

* * *

**Chapter 19: A Massive Crash Party**

Meredith had walked out of the hospital room and rolled her eyes at the group of family that had been allowed to come to the hospital.

"I'm fine guys, where are the others?"

"George, Eric, Tucker, Adele and Preston are at the house with the kids."

"And where are Cristina, Callie and Bailey?"

Mark looked down and Meredith threw her hands in the air. "Please tell me that they aren't going to go to jail."

"Hope not." Danielle piped up cheerfully.

Derek looked between them. "What's a massive crash party?"

Addison looked at him. "I have no idea."

Izzie laughed and Alex groaned. "You're in for an interesting night."

"What's going on?" The voice of Will was heard. Katie's face lit up when she saw her mother and she ran over to her.

"I'm fine Kit-Kat, just a mild concussion."

"Addison and Derek were asking what a massive crash party was." Alex explained.

The six looked at each other and cracked up.

"Should I be afraid?" Derek asked.

"Very." Izzie with some help from Alex stood. "Let's get going."

* * *

Derek was staring at Preston like he had gone crazy. "So let me get this straight. All of you. And by all of you, you mean _literally all of you_. Sleep here."

"Yes." George appeared behind him.

"We all don't sleep in the same room though."

"Where does everyone sleep then?" Tucker and Eric walked over and Tucker began to explain.

"Hayden and Mike share a room and Diana and Julia share one too. All the adults sleep down here and we let the six stooges pick whether they want to hang out with us or sleep I in the basement."

"What usually happens though" Mark continued "is that the older kids are with us for a while, get sick of it and go downstairs. Then, at some ridiculous hour in the morning they four younger kids sneak down to see the six downstairs and they all end up staying there."

Derek looked slightly terrified and Eric patted him on the back. "Don't worry. I got through my first Massive Crash Night with no bloodshed, you'll be fine."

"But you were married and they liked you."

Eric shrugged. "It takes some getting used to, and they already half-accepted you or else Mer wouldn't have told you about the massive crash party."

"Really?" Derek looked hopeful.

"She would've told you to get your ass back to whatever hotel you were staying at and to leave them alone and that she would be fine. Don't worry about what anybody thinks. You just have to be yourself or else it will make it worse."

"What worse?"

Eric smiled "Why the interrogation process of course."

* * *

Two hours later, after Cristina, Callie and Bailey had returned and Meredith had screamed at them (a normal occurrence in the house George reassured him) they settled down.

All of the kids played a game of sardines, which confused Derek until Mark explained it. They would pick one person to hide, and then the others would have to go find them. All the lights had to be off or dimmed too. Once they were found, the others would cram into the hiding place or somewhere close to it (like sardines in a can; hence the name). Last person to find them got to hide. The older kids paired with the younger so that they were not always 'it' or left while everyone was hiding.

"That doesn't sound that fun." Derek mused.

"Just be glad that we're not letting them go out and play bigger and better." Bailey who was passing by heard that and snorted.

"Remember when the older kids played it at the hospital?"

"What happened?" Derek asked.

Callie groaned. "It was boys against girls, and they had to meet back at Richards office at 2:30 to see who won. Well, the girls come hurtling down to his office with some patient that they kidnapped from the maternity ward that was pregnant with twins and had agreed to be their 'biggest and best'. She was in a hospital bed, and about twenty. Her boyfriend was trailing after her taking pictures of these two nine year old girls pushing a hospital bed around. It was a miracle no one caught them."

"We got in trouble though." Sami was smiling. Julia was holding her hand with an innocent grin. "Grounded for a week, we couldn't watch any surgeries."

"You did anyway, Richard let you sneak into the gallery, remember?" Adele was grinning at her granddaughters.

"Yeah, it was great. He overrode our parents."

"We have to hide Sami, come on." Julia was not interested in any of the talk and was pulling on her cousin's hand impatiently.

"Right, let's go Jules." The two disappeared.

* * *

Hours later Derek found himself with just the adults. They were sitting around drinking hot chocolate and laughing.

Blankets and pillows of various shapes and sizes had been spread on the floor. Izzie, it was determined could sleep on the couch if she wanted to because she was pregnant. Adele had said good-bye earlier because she had to go visit some of Richard's blood family early the next day and she didn't want to insult them by showing up tired and fresh from spending time with the hospital family (Richards blood family had never really cared for them).

Derek had heard Meredith pull Cristina away at some point and demand to know hat had happened after she had passed out.

Apparently, Nancy had freaked out as soon as Meredith had hit the ground and had fled with the sisters in tow. After Meredith & Co. were safely loaded into the car and who was staying behind sorted out Cristina, Callie and Bailey had set off.

It hadn't been hard for them to find the sisters. They were staying at the hotel that Addison, Mark, Callie, George and Richard had all lived at, at different times. Once they had been found, Nancy had been found in tears. She had apologized profusely, but without remorse and then asked if the children were spending time with their father.

Bailey had been threatening with Callie and Cristina both glaring at her. She had threatened bodily harm if any of the siblings or any more of Derek's family came towards the children without permission from Meredith.

Cristina had wanted to hit her, but Callie and Bailey had held her back. They had left, and come back here after extracting promises from the four sisters and then Meredith had yelled and they had gotten everyone together for the massive crash party.

Derek looked at the people around him. Cristina and Izzie were talking in hushed voices, while Addison and Danielle discussed babies. Eric and Tucker were arguing with Alex about some sport and George and Preston were in a deep conversation. Callie and Bailey were laughing and Meredith was sitting next to Mark her head on his legs as he talked to her.

Derek felt slightly uncomfortable, but was surprised to feel himself relaxing as Eric and Tucker asked him what he thought about what they were arguing about.

He still needed to talk to Meredith about how everything had gotten so messed up, but didn't get the chance because he soon felt Cristina's eyes on him.

When he looked at her she smiled. "Can we talk?" Derek knew that he had no choice but to agree.

* * *

What did you think? Filler chapter, next will be some fun conversations. if you have any ideas feel free to tell me, I'll see if I can add them in. Review! 


	20. Chapter 20

**Nickelback was great. Anyone up for looking over the first few chapters of the greys/house crossover and giving me a title? because I won't be home until later this week and don't know if I'll be on the computer.** **If you are, tell me and I'll send it. Don't know how soon though**

* * *

**Chapter 20: Ooops!**

Derek walked into the hall with Cristina and she turned to face him hands on her hips. He braced himself waiting for her to tell him that he didn't even deserve her.

Cristina met his eyes and then said simply "You break any of their hearts I break your neck."

Derek stared for a minute. He opened his mouth to speak and was cut off.

"Did I say you could talk?"

"No. Shut up and listen. They have been through enough in the past few years and they don't need you to come and add even more problems." Derek stared at her. "First with Denny's death and the birth of the triplets, which she did naturally for all three of them, by the way. Then the surgery Mere had to have afterwards and as usually our drama and then Katie's diagnosis, and everything that followed that, all of our usual screwed up family problems and then Richard's death and everything you brought back to Seattle."

Derek missed half of her speech. The words that he could hear were 'surgery' 'Mere' and 'Katie's diagnosis.

"What happened to Katie? Why did Mere have to have surgery?" Derek looked bewildered and Cristina swore under her breath.

"Meredith! Get in here!" Meredith appeared seconds later and looked between Derek and Cristina.

"What happened?"

"What haven't you told McDreamy?"

"Oh God. Cristina." Meredith moaned. Cristina shrugged.

"Sorry, but I have to be threatening. Tell him what he wants to know so that I can threaten him some more." Meredith shook her head and Cristina disappeared back into the den with the other family.

"What do you want to know?"

"Cristina said that you had surgery. And what's wrong with Katie?" Meredith gestured for him to follow her out to the porch.

"After the triplets were born." Her eyes were distant and she climbed onto the swing they had. "I almost bled out. They rushed me into surgery. It freaked everyone out."

Derek held Meredith's hand and sat down next to her. "And Katie?"

"Diagnosed when she was seven. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. She went through chemo, and relapsed when she was eleven. Jake gave her bone marrow. No sign of it since."

Derek stared at Meredith. "And you still didn't think to call me?"

"Why would I Derek? As far as I knew you didn't care at all. I wasn't going to call you because Katie was sick and might-" her voice caught and she couldn't finish the sentence. "I'll be inside if you need me."

Derek sat on the swing lost in his thoughts.

"So, now you know." Mark was standing in front of him. Derek just stared.

"You knew."

"Of course I knew. I've known the crazies since they were five."

"And you didn't tell me? I still don't understand how you couldn't tell me Mark. I'm your best friend."

Mark sat down next to him. "Let me give you a scenario. And I want you to listen hard and think. I go to you immediately. Say Derek, Meredith had your children and she didn't tell you about them."

"What would you do?"

"I would fly out here immediately."

"And without any explanation jump back into her life. You would be angry, she would be accusing, and there would be three children looking at their hero and wondering why he upset their mother so much."

"Their hero?"

"You were Superman to them Derek. More so then Richard and that's saying a lot. Meredith never changed their opinion. She told them the truth when they were ten. It wouldn't have mattered if they didn't know what really happened. They're smart kids. They would've figured out the truth."

"I'm so lost Mark. I have no idea what to do."

"I don't know either. Hell, I don't even have children I never knew about that have a love/hate relationship with me."

"That's at least comforting."

"I thought so too." Derek and Mark sat in silence on the porch for another hour.

* * *

"Cristina!"

"What? It wasn't like he was going to find out anyway."

"But still, so not the way that I wanted to tell him."

Cristina raised an eyebrow. "So it would've been better six months from now to sit him down and gently explain what happened?"

"Yes."

"And then he would've asked you why you didn't tell him sooner."

"And I'll tell him that it wasn't the right time."

"It doesn't work like that Mer and you know it."

"What did you say to him anyway?"

"I told him that if he hurt any of you I would break his neck."

"Comforting."

"I thought do."

Meredith smiled at her best friend. "What would I do without you?"

"No idea."

* * *

I didn't really like this chapter and I need some ideas. Running low. Review! 


	21. Chapter 21

Next chapter is here. I only got four reviews last time. : ( Hopefully I'll get some more this time. Eh, whatever. I don't care. Go read my fic.

* * *

**Chapter 21: Acceptance and Talking  
**

Derek awoke to the smell of coffee and the chatter of children's voices. Quickly he surveyed the room.

Cristina wasn't next to Preston, who was still asleep, and Alex and Bailey were missing. Mark was sitting in the kitchen- he could see him out of the corner of his eye- but other then that everyone was still sleeping.

He walked into the kitchen to find all of the people that were awake sitting in the kitchen and playing poker.

The kids were making breakfast and it surprised Derek to see the older kids patiently helping the younger ones measure out ingredients, stir batter, and all around be helpful without taking control.

"Derek, my man, pull up a chair and I'll deal you in."

Mark was starting a new game and Derek was surprised at how easily everyone seemed to be in their pajamas at Meredith's house on some random morning.

"How do you take you coffee Derek?" Hayden was grinning at the man shyly.

"Just black please, Hayden."

"That's Uncle Derek to you Hay-Day." Cristina informed the little boy. She was concentrating on her cards, and the words seemed to roll effortlessly off of her tongue.

"Okay."

Hayden walked over to Derek, carefully holding the coffee under the watchful eyes of Will.

"Thank you Hayden."

"You're welcome Uncle Derek." He giggled and dashed over to his cousins.

Derek raised his head and met Cristina's eyes for a second. She nodded and allowed the smallest of smiles to grace her features.

He now had Cristina's permission.

* * *

_Two Days Later_

Derek shifted from one foot to the other as he walked into Burke's office.

"I want a job."

"Good to see you too Derek." He stared at Burke, eyes pleading.

"I figured you would be here soon. We have an opening in neurology."

Preston had been waiting since Richard's funeral for Derek to come to him. He hadn't started looking for people to hire yet even. He had thought about it, but he had had other things to do and other things to think about. Derek grinned broadly at the man he had once competed with for chief position.

"You'll start in two weeks."

"Thank you so much Burke. I owe you one."

Derek rushed out of the office before Burke could reply, and he shook his head speaking to the now empty room.

"Thank my wife."

* * *

Derek rang the doorbell at the Grey Household later that day and shifted impatiently. 

Meredith opened the door and raised an eyebrow at him. "How much longer do the kids have left in their spring break?"

"Nine days, why?"

"Can you get nine days off?"

"Depends. Maybe. Why?"

"I got a job out here." Derek was practically jumping from excitement.

"I need to pack everything and move out here. I figured that if it was okay with you the five of us could go to New York like the kids have always wanted and at the same time we could sight see, and spend more time together."

Meredith smiled at him. His joy was contagious.

"I'll ask the kids when they get back from Bailey's. Do you want to come in and wait for them? They should be home in about a half hour."

Derek stepped into the house. They hadn't had a moment alone since Derek had found out about his children.

"How've you been?" He walked into the kitchen and sat down, watching Meredith as she bustled around, making coffee.

"I've had my good days, and I've had my bad days. You know how it is."

"Yeah." He smiled as she set the coffee down in front of him.

"Ya'know with everything that's been going on we haven't gotten the chance to talk about- well, us."

There. He had said it. Now, he just had to wait and see the reaction. See if it was true and he really did still have a chance.

"I don't know if I'm ready for there to be an us Derek."

"Why not Mer? It's been almost fifteen years, but the point is, I still love you." Meredith bit back her gasp. He had never straight out told her that when they had dated.

"I love you too Der, but that's not the point."

"What is the point then?"

"If you let me finish a sentence, I'll tell you."

"You just came back Derek. After the kids not having a dad in their life for fourteen years you suddenly appeared. And that's not a bad thing. I'm glad that you came back. It's good that they're getting to know you. I just don't know if I can jump head first into a romantic relationship with you right now."

Meredith finished her little rant and looked down, not meeting his eyes.

"Hey." Derek pulled on her arm and Meredith met his eyes. "My turn to talk now. Just listen. Maybe- maybe we don't need to start a romantic relationship right now. The fact that we love each other is a good thing to start off with. Let's just get to know each other and I'll get to know the triplets. We can do that in New York. If you want to when we get back we can talk about everything and figure out how we want to go from there."

Meredith thought a moment before nodding. "That sounds good."

He gave her his McDreamy smile. "Should we seal it with a kiss?" Meredith shoved him playfully.

"In your dreams McDreamy."

"But you love me because of it."

She smiled at him. "Maybe."

The sound of a key in a lock startled both of them and the triplets walked in laughing and talking animatedly.

It took them a few moments to notice their parents.

"Hi Mom, hi Derek." They chorused.

"Hey guys." Derek watched as Jake walked over to the fridge and took out three bottles of Gatorade, giving one to each of his siblings.

"Derek has something to ask you guys."

They turned to look at him expectantly. "Your mom says that you have nine days of vacation left. I have to go to New York and pack up my apartment. Preston gave me a job at the hospital. How would you three like to come with me and see New York? Meredith would be coming too."

The siblings stared at him for a moment and then turned to confer in triplet-speak. Finally Zach turned to him as the other two beamed.

"We would love to come with you to New York for the rest of our vacation – _dad_."

* * *

The ending may have been a little corny, but I don't care. Review!  



	22. Chapter 22

**Sorry it took so long. I'm leaving for vacation for a week, so this is the last post for a little while.

* * *

****Chapter 22: New York, New York**

Meredith stepped off of the airplane and shook her head. Derek had no idea what he was getting into. Family vacations were always great fun, but also always insane.

Derek watched the triplets dance around and laugh. His heart had swelled when they called him dad.

They had caught a red eye to New York, and it was now 3:30 in the morning. Yet, there they were dancing and laughing while he watched tiredly.

"Get ready for the longest nine days."

"What?" Derek turned to face Meredith.

"Vacation is always go, go, go. Non-stop activities. Trust me."

Zach flipped open a notebook once they were in a cab and consulted it. He, Derek had learned was the one who was the most organized about day to day activities. They had a white board at their house, much like the one for surgery where they planned their weeks out. Zach was usually in control of it.

"Okay, so as the list goes we have RENT on Broadway, Times Square, Statue of Liberty, Yankees game, Ground Zero, maybe Ellis Island, Central Park, get a hot dog somewhere, and anything else that hits us."

"We're going to dad's house first, to drop our stuff off, and then we're getting something to eat." Katie was leaning over Zach's shoulder Jake doing the same on his other side.

"Can we go to Times Square today?" Jake asked. Katie's eyes lit up.

"Yeah, let's go now!"

"Katie it's four in the morning." Meredith called tiredly from her seat.

"So? We could sleep in tomorrow."

"No. You don't want to go to Times Square now." Derek turned to face her, pulling something out of his pocket and handing it to her.

"We can go tonight after-" he didn't get to finish the sentence because Katie had opened the paper and was squealing as she launched herself at him.

"You got us tickets to RENT! Oh my God! I love you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Derek wrapped his arms around his daughter. This was the first time he had really held any of his children and he felt his heart stop for a minute.

_This was his daughter._ It felt wonderful to have the child grinning excitedly and in his arms. The cabbie pulled up to Derek's brownstone and stopped the car.

Derek paid him and the five got out, the kids still chattering excitedly about RENT.

Jake and Zach hugged him too and Katie danced around excitedly.

"This is the _best_ thing ever!" Meredith laughed.

"Even better then the time that Richard flew all of us to Disney?"

Katie paused and thought. "They tie. Although, the expression on Cristina's face when Mickey hugged her was priceless."

Derek laughed at the thought. "Let's go in guys. We have a busy day.**  
**

* * *

Derek collapsed next to Meredith on the couch with a sigh. 

"They are exhausting." The original plan had been for two of the triplets to take the guest room, and one to take the couch, while Meredith shared a room with Derek, but it hadn't worked that way.

Meredith was sharing a room with Derek and the triplets were all crashing together.

"You get used to it. After a while you don't even realize how exhausting it can be. But, then again, they're easier to take care of now. When they were first walking-" Meredith shook her head.

"It was right around Christmas time, so we were setting up the tree. Earlier that week, something had happened to the playpen. George may have run it over or something- it was a really weird thing. But, no one had had time to go out and get a new one. It finally got around to being Christmas Eve, with everyone there. The six stooges were all at various stages of walking and running but no one had thought to tell Bailey or Danielle to bring their playpen."

Meredith yawned, but continued the story. "So, we were all sitting around talking, laughing, and getting up and chasing the kids to make sure that they weren't doing anything dangerous. They all thought it was a game. Longest Christmas Party we ever had."

Derek laughed. "I can see that happening. C'mon, let's go to sleep."

As part of their 'let's just say that we love each other, but the kids come first' idea, they had decided to start by attempting to share a room.

"Let's go."

* * *

"That was amazing! I loved it! I never want to leave New York. I could live here forever!" Derek watched Katie dance around in excitement. 

"I take it you hated it?" Jake and Zach both laughed, and Katie stuck her tongue out at Meredith.

"Don't be mean Mom."

"Right. I'll take that as a it was terrible, tell everyone I hated it, I never want to be in New York again." They were walking to Times Square, Meredith and Derek hand and hand as the triplets danced around.

Derek couldn't stop watching them. Sure, he had nieces and nephews, but the three children standing in front of him, those were _his_.

He had always loved his family, but this was different. This was love so big that it made his heart hurt.

Zach and Jake had begun to attack Katie, tickling her as she shrieked "Mercy, stop it guys!"

"Zach, Jake, leave her alone." Both stopped at their mothers voice, and Katie paused a moment to stick her tongue out before launching herself at them and tickling them right back.

Meredith rolled her eyes and grabbed the girl around the waist, putting her firmly in Derek's arms as she struggled while Meredith stopped the boys from launching themselves back at their sister.

"Don't even think about it."

"But _Mom_-!"

"Nope. Don't start." She shot both all three of her children looks. Katie immediately stopped struggling her fathers' arms and sighed. She extended her hands to her brothers. Both took one, crossing the other arm so that they were each shaking each others hands.

"Deal." Derek watched the three in amusement as Meredith shook her head at them. His arms loosened around Katie and she grinned at him.

"Are there any good places out here to have midnight snacks Dad?"**  
**

* * *

That's how they ended up and Baskin Robins at midnight. Meredith didn't seem surprised that the three children all ordered Rocky Road in cones, and devoured them. 

He ate his ice cream and spent mot of the time just watching his children. They were amazing. Everything that he had ever dreamed about when he had thought of children.

Jake was a mini-Meredith. He looked like Derek, but his actions were all Meredith. When Derek had woken up after they crashed in New York, he had found Jake eating a grilled cheese that he had made, Katie and Zach still sleeping.

Zach was him, in actions if not in looks. He was more of a mixture in looks (leaning towards Meredith in that department). He always had to be in control, organized, and loved ferry boats and fishing. According to Burke, Zach was always the one (All of them did actually.)

And Katie. She was Cristina, in her attitude, but there were moments when she was Meredith or Cristina. Moments when she was him too.

"Dad!" He turned hi attention to Zach and resumed conversation with them. The rest of the week was going to be interesting.

* * *

Review! 


	23. Chapter 23

So I don't know how this happened, but I was writing, and the story just kind of ended. And no you're all looking at me like I'm crazy. There will probably be an epilogue, but that's all.

* * *

**Chapter 23: Lady Liberty, Phone Calls and Beginnings  
**

Katie stood in between her brothers as they watched the Statue of Liberty approach them. Derek and Meredith stood behind them, leaning into each other arms on their children.

If anyone had had a camera it would have been a perfect picture. The wind was whipping their hair and all were staring into the distance.

The boat jerked to a stop and everyone crowded off.

"She's so big." Jake mused as the kids stared up. Katie nodded as did Zach.

"Give me your tired, your poor,  
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,  
The wretched refuse of teeming shore.  
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me:  
I lift my lamp beside the golden door." Meredith quoted.

"Yeah. That was my next line after commenting on how massive she is in real life." Jake teased his mother.

"Mm-hhhm." Katie was staring. "I wish we could go up there."

Derek followed her gaze to the torch. "I went once when I was a kid. It was great, but very small. They closed it after 9/11."

Zach nodded. "I'm not the one for heights. I would've stayed down here anyway."

"No you wouldn't have." Katie turned to him. "We would've forced you up there."

"And in the end you would have loved it." Jake pointed out. "Like when we made Katie and Mom go on all the roller coasters at Disney World, even when they were yelling at us."

"That was funny though. I loved Disney. When can we go back there?" Katie turned to her mother a question on her face.

Derek refrained from telling her that he would take them to the moon if any of them asked. Three children who he loved more then anyone in the world. Except Meredith, but that was a different kind of love.

"Let's walk around a bit." He suggested.

* * *

Ground Zero was not what they expected. They kids had learned about it in school, had seen video footage of the planes flying into the building, had heard peoples stories.

But, there really was nothing that could prepare you. The destruction was still there, the scaring on the walls, the list of people who had died on the planes and in the Twin Towers.

The triplets stood together holding hands. All of their eyes were wide and Derek was afraid that for some reason the Twin Towers had broken them He took a step but Meredith grabbed his arm.

"Let them be Derek."

"What?"

"They need a moment to digest." Meredith wrapped an arm around him. "They grew up in a hospital, and they understand life and death as well as anyone can, but to them war and terrorism are two of the worst things that someone can do. People die everyday, but to have all those lives just senselessly taken away-" She let her voice trail off and shrugged.

"It's hard to understand." Derek watched his children. Katie seemed to be saying something, and Meredith allowed him to step closer. She was singing lowly.

"I can take the pain,  
The heartache they bring,  
The comforts in knowing  
I'll soon be gone.  
As God gives me grace,  
I'll run this race,  
Until I see my Savior face to face."

Zach and Jake were singing in harmony with her, and when they finished the three huddled together before Jake turned and began to speak.

"We're ready to leave now." Meredith seemed to understand more then he did, because she opened her arms and let the kids lunge into her arms.

* * *

"We went to the Statue of Liberty today and Ground Zero. Ground Zero was really sad, but the Statue of Liberty was fun." Katie was sitting in the guest room talking to who he could only assume was Sami.

"Last night Dad got us all tickets to see RENT. It was amazing."

Katie's voice still held the joy and shock that it had the night before, but she lowered it slightly and Derek strained his ears. He shouldn't have been listening, should have kept on walking to the kitchen, but he couldn't help it.

"Yeah. He's a lot different then what I expected him to be. Remember when we were little and he was our hero? And then when we were older he just wasn't really talked about. Then there were the few days after he threatened to take us away. Is this what it feels like to have a dad? A real for good one, like Eric? I mean we have Uncles extraordinaire, and even though it feels the same, it feels different."

The two girls chatted for a bit longer and Derek disappeared to his room for a minute. He could feel his heart breaking.

_Is this what it feels like to have a dad?_

No child should ever have had to ask that question.

* * *

Derek stepped onto the plane behind Zach. His children looked extremely sad to be leaving, and Derek understood.

New York was amazing. If you stayed to long though – you became genetically engineered to hate everywhere else. And that wasn't a good thing. New York was great- but only until you hit that point where you started hating everything.

Meredith had been able to change that in him. When he had first gone to Seattle, he had been prepared to hate it, prepared to go back to New York and just pray to never run into Addison again.

But, Meredith had changed all of that. She had saved him even if he hadn't been sure if he had needed saving.

He felt a tug on his arm and turned to Meredith. She was grinning at him. "You ready?"

Derek wasn't sure what she wasn asking him about. _Ready for take off? Ready to get out of New York? Ready to go back to Seattle? Ready to be a Dad? Ready for life?_

"As ready as I'll ever be." He was tugged down onto the seat next to her and Meredith smiled at him. Across the aisle Katie, Jake and Zach were chatting animatedly.

The plane was still loading and the three kids slipped over to their parents.

"We have decided-" Jake began.

"That this has been-" Katie added.

"The best vacation. Ever." Zach finished.

The three siblings exchanged hugs with their parents before they moved to sit down.

Derek took a moment to take everything in.

Zach – his oldest son. The baseball player wanna be neurosurgeon.

Jake- his middle child, but the baby boy. Heart surgeon, football player, peace maker.

Katie- his baby girl. The general surgeon who had grown up to fast and spent a lot of her life in the hospital.

And finally- Meredith. The love of his life. The woman sitting next to him, the one who he hoped to spend the rest of his life with.

She seemed to sense his thoughts, because she leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek.

It wasn't everything. When they got back to Seattle he would have to deal with her family, his sisters, life in general, dating, teenagers. It wouldn't be perfect that was for sure. But, it was what Derek had always wanted.

It was something – everything to him now. It was the start of their life together as one big happy family.

* * *

So yeah. An epilogue. I haven't started it yet, but it will be later in their lives. If I get a bunch of requests for a certain amount of years/months later I may write it that many later.

Walter Hawkins – Goin' Up A Yonder  
Emma Lazarus- Statue of Liberty Poem

Review!  



	24. Chapter 24

**Here's the last chapter. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. There are to many to name. Don't know if I'll be starting another Grey's fic, but look for A Hell Of a Reunion.**

* * *

**Epilogue**

_Three Years Later_

It had taken them awhile to finally get to the point they were at.

Derek had taken called his sisters and they had met and hashed it all out. Nancy had been unable to come to terms with her baby brother and Meredith, and refused to speak to them. Kathleen was only speaking to Derek, and was slowly warming up to the idea of his family. As for Emily and Anne they had embraced the children and Meredith with open arms and hearts.

"I can't believe we're doing this." Katie was jumping around excitedly.

"Katherine Grace, will you sit still for one minute so I can do your hair?" Izzie grumbled. "You're worse then Hannah."

The three-year old ball of energy giggled.

"I'm pretty. Sami gave me lip gloss. I get to wear makes-ups."

"It's make-up Hannah-Banana." Sami corrected.

"Mmm-hhmm." The blonde girl nodded and went back to her coloring.

Cristina walked in and surveyed the group. "Okay, so Mer is freaking out, but that's okay because I everyone did."

Izzie nodded. "Hannah is ready, so are Diana and Julia. Sami is, so am I, so are you, Callie and Bailey. All I need to do is finish Katie's hair and we're all ready."

"I'll call the guys" Callie volunteered grabbing her cell phone.

Miranda began to assemble the group, making sure that everyone had everything they needed.

"Okay. Addison, Danielle, Sami, Diana, Julia, let's get out of here. Callie will meet us out there." The children followed, Hannah waving at them cheerfully.

"Bye-bye." She sang out. "I'll see you soon."

* * *

"Meredith, calm down."

"I can't."

"Yes you can." Meredith was pacing frantically around the room.

"Meredith Grey, you can do this. You love him. It's not that scary."

"Yes it is."

"You're going to make me get angry, aren't you?"

"Possibly."

Cristina rolled her eyes and grabbed her person's shoulders.

"Stop whining! This is your wedding day, you will go down that aisle and you will get married! If I have to kick your ass every step of the way to get you there… you _will_ walk down the aisle, you _will_ get married."

"And now you're stealing my speeches?"

"Well," Cristina shrugged. "You were impersonating me, and it worked, didn't it? I got down the aisle just fine, and you will too."

Meredith took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm ready."**  
**

* * *

Derek paced nervously in the hotel room while the others watched amused.

Jimmy, Zach, Jake and Will were eating chocolate malt balls which would probably end up costing Derek a fortune and talking.

"I can't believe we're doing this." Zach's voice was low.

Jimmy snorted. "Didn't I say the same thing?"

"Yeah. But still." Will protested. "Look how different this is from when Danielle and Eric got married. They didn't have three secret children and all the drama surrounding them that Meredith and Derek do."

"Thank God." Jimmy muttered. "Although, I would rather be Eric's kid – but that's a while other story."

"Are you ready?" Burke walked over to the boys. "Callie just called and said that the girls are ready to go."

"That's our cue." Jake stood and the other three followed his lead.

"We'll see you guys out there." Jimmy said with a grin.

Will nodded. "Yeah, good luck."

Tucker, George, Jimmy, Alex, Eric and Mike stood up to leave. Hayden watched them go with a wave.

The remaining people: Hayden, Jake, Zach, Burke, Mark, and Derek stood around and looked at each other.

"Ready dad?"

Derek looked at his two sons. "As ready as I'll ever be."**  
**

* * *

They had decided to get married on a ferry boat, because – well, why not? 

Katie, Zach and Jake had planned everything, and they had wanted the wedding to be somewhere symbolic.

The hospital was out, as was Joe's, so they had gone with the ferry boats.

It had been expensive, but they had rented an entire boat out. The kids were doubling as DJ's and Izzie and Burke had cooked. An old friend of Derek's, who was a judge, had agreed to do the ceremony. It would be a pretty small group, with the hospital family, Adele, and two of Derek's sisters as well as his mother.

"Ready Mom?" She grinned at her sons as they took a place on either side of her.

If Richard was still alive, he would have been the one to walk her down the aisle, but he wasn't. It upset everyone that their father/grandfather wasn't going to be there to see the day that his daughter married the man that she loved, but there was nothing that they could have done to prevent his death.

"I'm ready Jake, Zach."

Many would have thought it was weird for her sons to be walking her down the aisle, but weird worked for their family.

Plus, it made sense. They were 'giving her away' to their father. She had been Zach, Jake's and Katie's since the time they were born, and now they were about to share her with their father for the rest of their lives.

Hannah was the flower girl, Hayden the ring bearer. Katie was her maid of honor and Cristina and Izzie were her bridesmaids while Burke and Mark were acting as Best Men.

"You look beautiful Mom." Katie was twirling in her dress.

It was a simple brown one that tied in the back. On it were white and pink flowers. A Tiffany's 'K' necklace and some high heels finished her outfit. Izzie had her hair in a simple twist with hair hanging down in gentle waves on either side.

Meredith had decided not to wear white, and had instead chosen a strapless red dress that went to about her knees. Izzie had done something to her hair so that it was twisted behind her head almost like a pony tail, only she had added a flower and somehow put the hair in a twist. It was ridiculously hard to explain, but it looked beautiful.

"Katie, that's your cue." Cristina gently shoved the girl out the door and she immediately went, holding flowers and grinning from ear to ear.

Cristina soon followed and Meredith was left with her sons.

The walk down the aisle seemed to take forever, but at the end she was standing in front of Derek, eyes shinging in happiness and tears.

"We are gathered here today-"

The judge went through the vows fairly quickly and Meredith finally heard the words that she had been waiting for.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Cheers erupted from the small group, followed by a cat call of 'get a room!' by Mark, which had all the kids laughing.

"And now, may I present to you Meredith and Derek Shepard."

The bride and groom laughed, and Meredith let out a squeak of protest when Derek picked her up and swung her around.

She could hear laughter in the background, smell the ocean and feel Derek's arms around her.

_They were all finally happy._

_THE END _

* * *

Meredith's Hair: http//www.updoprincess. com / Weddinghair. html 

I shamelessly stole the speech Cristina gave Meredith from Didn't We Almost Have It All.


End file.
